Starlight and Moonlight
by Megaella Ballanche-Viewlard
Summary: Remus Lupin returns to Hogwarts as DADA professor and Head of Gryffindor. The lycanthropic scholar Amihan Sinagtala joins him to solve another escape from Azkaban. Finished at seven chapters!!!
1. The Witch with the Golden Eyes

Starlight and Moonlight 1

Starlight and Moonlight

_A _Harry Potter _Fan Fiction Piece_

By Megaella Ballanche-Viewlard 

**_Part One: _****The Witch with the Golden Eyes**

** **

"Harry?"

Impatiently, Sirius Black called up from the living room.

"HARRY!", he shouted."Hurry up!We can't miss the train, you know!"

Hurriedly, sixteen-year-old Harry Potter scrambled down the stairs and found his foster father pacing about impatiently.A fire was burning brightly in the grate despite that it had suddenly turned warm for an early autumn day.The jar of Floo Powder on the mantelpiece had its lid off.Their luggage was all ready to be carted off for the trip back to Hogwarts for Harry's sixth year.

It looked like a brighter year for Harry, his friends, and everyone close to them.At the end of the previous school year, the evil wizard Voldemort had finally been vanquished when Harry blew him away with a very powerful spell that more than exacted the vengeance he craved for the deaths of his parents James and Lily.Harry was quite sure they were now _really_ resting in peace after fifteen years.

Sirius's name had been cleared and the traitor Peter Pettigrew thrown into the bleak prison of Azkaban in his place.("Serves the bugger right", Sirius had grunted in deep satisfaction when the verdict was handed down.)As a result, Sirius was finally able to claim his responsibility as Harry's godfather and guardian.At the beginning of the summer, Sirius had ridden up from Hogwarts on the same train as the students and had authoritatively swept in front of an astonished Vernon Dursley, telling him in passing that he was taking Harry away – for good – and that the boy needed _better _guardians who would _treat him better, love him, _and – most importantly – _understand _him.For Harry, moving in with Sirius had been an early birthday present.He _did_ have several more of those, of course…

Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore replaced another Voldemort supporter, Cornelius Fudge, as Minister of Magic.The ever self-effacing Dumbledore had, once again, tried to decline the position but finally took it – albeit reluctantly – due to insistent public demand.The similarly modest Arthur Weasley, the father of Harry's best friend Ron, had been assigned as his right-hand man and the ensuing pay hike brought up the level of comfort at the Weasley household.This, of course, meant that Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall was now Headmistress.

This last reassignment of duties caused a bit of worry – quite close to a crisis, actually – as a new head for Gryffindor House as well as a new Transfiguration teacher had not been designated due to the sudden occurrence of events.

It wasn't a crisis for long, though.Sirius Black found himself dragooned into taking McGonagall's place as Transfiguration professor, causing mighty cheers to erupt from the Gryffindor table at the Great Hall during the year-end feast.

Then, after a year with a Mad-Eye Moody impostor and another with a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who seemed to have been cut from the same cloth as the incompetent Gilderoy Lockhart, came a surprising but extremely well received decision.Remus J. Lupin, the Hogwarts alumnus who had handled the subject in Harry's third year, was to be reinstated _and_ made head of Gryffindor where he once belonged – regardless of the fact that he _was_ a werewolf.

Goodness only knew how fervent and how loud the cheers from the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth-year students of all four houses were!Even the Slytherins were enthusiastic about Lupin's return as he'd been their best teacher for the subject ever.The departing seventh-year students, however, could be heard muttering darkly about life not being fair, about how unlucky they were that they were leaving just as Lupin was about to come back.

Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin House, had been so shaken by the turn of events over the past year that he relinquished the thought of ever taking the DADA classes himself.Indeed, working with both Sirius Black and Remus Lupin for the past year enabled them to settle their differences; Snape was more than willing to stir up batches of Wolfsbane Potion if it meant never having to deal with incompetent exorcists ever again!

Harry smiled as he thought about the kindly Remus who was second godfather to him.Sirius had made it clear that, if anything were to happen to him, Remus would look after Harry.It was a joke between the two remaining Marauders that Remus would've made a very good father, but it was a joke that had its basis in fact.Despite his frail-seeming body, the androgynously handsome Remus had always been good with children: as a student, he'd been very older-brotherly.As a teacher, he'd been quite paternal to the point that his students caught themselves on the verge of calling him "dad" more times than they'd care to count.

He was also quite a disciplinarian.He probably wasn't bad as Snape, but bad enough to scare the living daylights out of the lot of them.Harry remembered that somewhat ruefully… 

That summer, he'd invited Ron over to where he and Sirius had been living with Remus.

The boys had been lured into doing all sorts of mischief by Sirius and the crowning point of the whole summer was a magical taffy pull to which Harry had been allowed to invite a number of other classmates and friends.

The party for the taffy pull in the dining room went along successfully, but the taffy pull itself in the kitchen was a disaster.The cauldron where they'd been boiling the candy exploded, hurling a gooey mess that spattered all over the kitchen.The boys had all been in the kitchen with Sirius when it happened and everyone was in high spirits, laughing over the explosion.

The kitchen door slammed open and in stormed Remus, pale face livid, one hand on the door and the other clenched around his wand.They all fell silent at the sight of the angry wizard at the door.

"What happened here?", he demanded, marching into the ruined kitchen.Hands on his hips, he stared down the offenders who had all cowered into a corner.There was a definite wolfish gleam in his violet eyes that made them all cold all over. 

"Um…"It was shaky little Neville who spoke first in his tremulous voice."Th-the cauldron exploded, sir", he mumbled, eyes widening like a frightened bunny-rabbit.

"_That_ seems painfully obvious…" Remus suddenly caught a whiff of something different from the aroma of caramel that hung in the air and went over to the ruined cauldron.Studying the contents, he looked up with a withering glance and grabbed a pair of tongs from a cupboard.Gingerly, he fished out the remains of a Dr. Filibuster's Firecracker from the sticky mess in the cauldron.The stare he fixed upon the nonchalant (albeit shaking) Sirius was probably about as deadly as that of a basilisk if it had been someone else."Why, you're _trembling, _Padfoot!"Remus drew closer with the air of a wolf about to pounce."Surely _you_ – of all people! – didn't have anything to do with _this_!"

"Um, well, er…"Beads of cold sweat began to drip down Sirius's face, which, by this point, had taken on an almost deathly pallor.

If he'd probably given a straight answer, the end result would've been rather peaceful.As he _didn't_, however, Remus practically lost it and came _very_ close to howling his head (and everyone else's ears) off.

Pointing his wand at the cleaning closet, he roared, "_Accio_!"A flock of brooms few straight into each guilty person's hand along with an assortment of mops, rags, and buckets that magically filled themselves with soapy water.The miserable group stared at each other incredulously._Surely, he doesn't mean that we have to…_

__"I want every single spot of this kitchen scrubbed clean", Remus thundered as he turned for the door."_Accio!_"Everyone's wands came flying out of their robe pockets and into his hands."_No magic_", he snapped."Elbow grease."He marched out of the door with everyone else's wands as the morose gazes of the guilty trailed him.The door slammed shut behind him, making them all jump.

For the rest of the afternoon, they threw themselves wholesale into the horrendous job of cleaning up.As it was his suggestion that had led to this sorry state of affairs, nobody spoke to Sirius the whole time. He ended up with a pitiful hangdog expression on his face when the exhausting chore was over and Remus came back to inspect.The girls came right behind him, looking smug.

"I take it he chewed you out?", Hermione asked Ron and Harry, both of whom had crumpled into an exhausted heap after having to scrape hardened taffy off the tiles by the sink. 

"And then some", Harry managed to gasp.

"Are we waxing or waning this week?", Ron choked from the floor.

"Waxing", Hermione replied.

"Oh, man…"Ron stole a nervous glance towards Remus who was busy checking every corner for any sticky residue.Nudging Harry in the ribs, he asked if they had already brewed any Wolfsbane Potion."We might need it", he muttered ominously.

"Snape sent us a jug full of it", Harry replied."It's up in one of the cupboards."

Remus looked satisfied by the way the kitchen had been scrubbed spotless.But, "Let's not take any chances, shall we?"He reached up and opened one of the cupboards to take out the jug that Harry had described.The contents sent up wisps of foul-smelling steam when the jug was uncorked.Sighing, Remus carefully poured out the vile stuff into a goblet and gulped it down without a word.Then, to everyone's surprise, he poured a _second _dose and drank that down as well.He shivered at the horrible taste."God, that's awful!"

"Why _two_ doses, Moony?", Sirius asked, his curiosity piqued.

"After what you guys did?", Remus gasped as he put the cork back on the jug. "One probably might not be enough to save you from my wrath."There was a dangerous, lupine glint in his eyes and the normally placid wizard looked more than a bit, well, _dangerous_.

The implications of the whole scene made everyone cringe.

Harry laughed at that particular memory.

"What's so funny?", Sirius asked him with a grin.

"I just remembered the double dose of potion Remus had to take when you dropped that firecracker into the taffy cauldron", Harry chuckled."I really thought he was going to have us for supper then!"They all knew better, of course; Remus would rather kill himself than put any of them in danger.

"Yeah, that was a memorable one."Sirius himself roared with laughter at that.Taking the jar of Floo Powder, he tossed a shimmering handful into the fire.Pushing Harry's stuff in, he motioned for the boy to jump in."After you", he said."Have to lock and ward up, otherwise Remus will kill me."

"Okay."Harry jumped in, the cage holding the sleeping Hedwig in hand."To Platform 9 ¾!", he cried.

In a dizzying flurry, Harry found himself and his luggage transported to the grate of the porters' room at King's Cross Station's Platform 9 ¾.A wizard-porter helped him out of the fireplace and dusted him off with a huge clothes brush while a second porter carted his stuff onto the train.Ron was already there with Hermione and his sister Ginny.

"Oy, you took your sweet time coming here!"Ron and Harry slapped high-fives.Hermione hugged the new arrival before putting her usual death-lock on Ron while Ginny laughed as Harry planted an affectionate kiss on her cheek.

"Where's Sirius?", Hermione asked Harry.Harry simply jerked a thumb at his approaching foster-father who looked appallingly like a chimney sweep, powdered as he was with soot from head to foot.

"Hullo, y'all!", he roared good-naturedly, enveloping the four youngsters in a very smoky bear-hug."How are you, kids?"He winked at them playfully."Hope no one's folks got a Howler from Moony after what happened the last time."

"Remus never sends Howlers, Sirius", Harry reminded him.

"Thank God, he doesn't!"Ron crowed with laughter."Good thing Mum never found out or I'd have been in _major_ hot water if she found out I helped trash your kitchen!"

"He was _really_ nervous the whole week after we got home", Ginny giggled."Every time Hedwig or Luna showed up, he'd run to his room in a fright!"Luna was Remus's owl, a snowy she-owl like Hedwig but much bigger."Mum thought he was feverish because he was so jumpy; good thing it never occurred to her that he was guilty about some prank!"

They all laughed and joked around about it, particularly when the other Gryffindor fifth and sixth-years caught up with them.

"By the way…"Hermione frowned as she looked around, craning her neck over the heads of the crowd."Where _is_ Remus?Did he go on ahead?"

"In a manner of speaking", Harry nodded."He came here first; I'll wager he's down at that compartment near the end of the train, napping."

"Fellow keeps wearing himself out", Sirius grunted, but he did not mean that unkindly.He was concerned about Remus's well-being as the rest of them."As if the Change doesn't drain him enough, he fills in for some of the more demanding Auror jobs for the Ministry or gets busy with his writing or throws himself into his syllabus!"

"Can't you get him to slow down?", Hermione asked.Her tone had a definite accusation ringing in it."You're his best friend, Sirius!"

"The only one left, come to think of it", Ron added somewhat absently.

"I would if I could – but I _can't_!"Sirius spread his hands, looking more than a little put out by the question."I'm not sure if I can make any of you understand what sort of hell he has to go through every time the full moon shows up.Moony wants to forget the pain he experiences during the Change.I _do_ know he's more than a little misguided when he thinks that working so hard can tone things down, but _what can I do?_"

Everyone was taken aback by this impassioned outburst coming from a normally playful rogue like Sirius Black, but none of them could answer his last question.

It was a question that remained unanswered even as the last whistle blew before the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station.

Sure enough, Remus Lupin was sleeping soundly in the last compartment when Sirius and the others slipped in.

He'd managed to rouse himself a bit to say hello but fell asleep before anyone could strike up a conversation with him.

Ron studied the slumbering Remus while the others discussed Gryffindor House's chances for the Quidditch Cup for the year in quiet but excited voices.As he regarded the thin, exhausted wizard's careworn face and silver-flecked brown hair, he remembered what he'd said the first time they encountered him back in their third year.

_Looks like one good hex could finish him off_…

Ron had long since taken those words back.Remus was, despite the lycanthropy and whatever else it was that ailed him, an exceptionally competent teacher who knew exactly what he was doing and made sure that his students did the same.

Nevertheless, Ron had always thought that Remus Lupin didn't seem to exist in the same world as the rest of them.It was like he was on the outside, sadly looking in on those who had normal lives.

_I wonder if…_

__Ron shook his head; he dared not voice such an opinion.Remus had transcended from being just their teacher to becoming their friend and, for some odd reason, almost like a member of the family.(He remembered how his mother tried to fatten him up when he, Harry, and Sirius were invited for dinner at the Burrow.)He would probably feel insulted, possibly even _hurt_ if Ron asked him about…The red-haired boy sighed and turned his eyes to the landscape sweeping past outside.

During the summer, a rumor flew among the Hogwarts students wherever they may have been.

Headmistress McGonagall agreed with the rest of the faculty that the ghost of Old Professor Binns was not helping the students at all when it came to History of Magic and Cultural Magic.The old ghost understood, thankfully, and he simply went to haunt the library he'd loved during his lifetime, annoying the hapless Madam Pince as he did.In his place would be a much younger _living_ teacher, a Hogwarts alumna from abroad.

News about the new teacher spread throughout the Hogwarts Express as it chugged along the track and all sorts of speculations flew about.

"Young, you say?", someone asked."How young do you think she is?"

"Early or mid-thirties like Snape, Lupin, and Black?", someone suggested.

Someone denied that."Twenty-ish", they said.

_Ooh…_, they thought._She's either young enough to join in on the fun or young enough to be a regular control freak!_

"Is she pretty?"

"Are you _nuts_?", someone snorted."If she were pretty, do you honestly think she'd spend her days _teaching_?"

Everyone wondered what she would be like.Opinions ranging from "very pretty" to "pretty ugly" differed from compartment to compartment.An unending debate over the whole dumb bimbo thing against the whole droning geek thing also raged for a better part of the journey.As to what she was really like, no one aboard had the foggiest clue.

Remus, however, simply listened in intent silence as those in his compartment chattered about her as he woke from his nap.His lips were pursed into a thoughtful line the way they usually did when he seemed to know something the others didn't.

The Headmistress had summoned him to Hogwarts the previous week and he'd run into a pretty unusual character…

In the week prior to the start of the term, Remus was summoned to Hogwarts.

Incoming Headmistress McGonagall was going to turn over some things to him, mostly stuff he needed as the new Head of Gryffindor House.

It was Severus Snape – _Severus Snape, of all people – _who met him at the Hogsmeade Station.The two had long since buried the hatchet and greeted each other cordially.On the coach bound for the school, Snape filled Remus in on the dismissal of Professor Binns and was eager to talk about the new teacher.

"She was one of my first students", he began."Came about five years after our class left Hogwarts.Amihan Sinagtala, daughter of the former Philippine ambassador Habagat Sinagtala.You're aware that he and his wife are of our kind, aren't you?"

"Yes, and they were able to hide it so skillfully."In his mind's eye, Remus remembered Ambassador Sinagtala: a dark, massive man with a solemn countenance andwry sense of humor. "I met them when Dad and I launched the book we did on Philippine wizards.That was around the summer before I last taught here."He regarded Snape thoughtfully."What's his daughter like, Severus?"

They had entered the school gates at that point.Pressing a finger to his lips, Snape led Remus towards a clump of oak trees.He pointed to what appeared to be a cloaked and hooded figure delicately plucking the strings of a Japanese _samisen_ to produce a gentle, haunting melody.

"That's her", Snape said quietly as they listened to the soft, lilting music."She was always musically inclined, you see; a rather talented girl."

"You seem to have a soft spot for her, Severus", Remus noted as they made their way towards the castle proper."She was a Slytherin, I suppose?"

"Who?Starlight?"

"Starlight?Isn't that the translation of her surname?"

Snape nodded."It's also her nickname."He managed an apologetic grin."Much as you know how much I've maligned your House, Remus, I'm afraid you're wrong on the Slytherin score."They went up a flight of stairs to the teachers' corridor."Amihan Sinagtala was – and still is – a Gryffindor to her fingertips!"He chuckled as he remembered a young girl with a constant expression of annoyance on her face."She _could_ pass off for Slytherin, though: nasty-tempered little git that she was.Yes, I was fond of her as she ended up a better potion brewer than me and aced all of her subjects to become Prefect in her fifth year and Head Girl in her seventh.She was even Quidditch captain!"Snape suddenly frowned and turned sadly to Remus."However, she was never quite happy nor satisfied with what she already had."

"What do you mean?"

Snape regarded him uneasily, as if he were afraid of what Remus might say in reaction to whatever he had in mind."There was one person who got in her way of becoming the perfect witch, Remus", he said rather slowly."It was _you_."

"_Me_?"Remus stared at him in bewilderment."How can _that_ be?", he exclaimed."We've never even met!"

"It's a long story", Snape sighed.They stopped at his office and went inside.Snape motioned for Remus to take a seat on the ratty old couch while he himself went round his desk to settle in his own uncomfortable chair.He looked up at the sparse collection of picture frames hanging on the wall over Remus's head.Remus himself looked up and saw the framed photograph of their graduating class.He found his seventeen-year-old self waving shyly at him, surrounded by rambunctious Sirius, clever James and his wonderful Lily (Lily was clapping her hands vigorously), and Peter Pettigrew with his neck in a headlock thanks to Sirius.He noted that Snape looked pretty vindictive in the picture when Remus finally found him.

Snape chuckled when they'd drawn their eyes off the picture."How I used to hate the lot of you when we were boys", he laughed."James who was so good at everything.Oh, and Sirius who was as clever as James was but was too busy getting into scrapes to get better grades.Tag-along Peter – traitorous git that one, alas! – and you, Remus."He sat back and closed his eyes, caught up in a memory."You came close to knocking James out academically but never did", he said as he opened his eyes."Potions grade got in the way, I suppose?"

"That and all my – er – _absences_", Remus admitted wryly."I think I missed one or two crucial quizzes or tests when I disappeared for the full moon.Oh, well…"He simply shrugged."_That_'s all over."

"True.But, Remus, you have a standing record despite all those, well, absences."Snape gazed at him candidly."Remus, you were – and still are – the _only_ student at Hogwarts who ever got perfect grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts for _all seven years_ of your stay here."

Remus had the grace to blush."That's very flattering, Severus", he said modestly."But what does that record have to do with Professor Sinagtala?"

"Ah…"Snape rose and bustled to get a pot of tea ready.Remus marveled at that; Snape _had_ changed."Well, as to _that_, the fact that she could never get 100% in Defense never sat well with Starlight", he continued.He soon handed Remus a steaming mug of tea."She got good enough grades in the subject but it galled her that she could never break your record."He sat down to sip from his own mug.Then, "Things got so bad that she would sometimes curse the very memory your name left in this school; she even swore that someday she'd find you and shoot a silver bullet into your heart."The very idea made Remus squirm uncomfortably in his seat."It was awful, Remus.She was soon spending all of her free time trying to find a way to put herself on a level with you on the subject.Unfortunately, she never came close.Her grades stayed good, but it soon became an obsession for her and…" There was a knock on the door."Yes, come in!"

"Professor Snape!"The door swung open with a loud crash to reveal a figure covered in a hooded cloak made of black velvet and stitched with what seemed a galaxy of silver stars.One hand held a _samisen_ while the other was impudently resting on her hip.They could not see her face as it was obscured, but Remus saw a stunning pair of amber colored eyes staring out from the hood.

_Amber eyes…_Remus cocked his head to one side as he studied them._How wolf-like!And yet…_

__"Well, well, well!"Snape rose and folded his arms in the imperious, contemptuous manner he used to use on the Gryffindors."Sinagtala!", he snarled."Had enough of playing wandering minstrel, have you?"

"I see you're still sticking that broken beak you call a nose into stuff that doesn't concern you."Snape winced at the spirited comeback uttered with a cool American accent, but the hooded figure simply laughed and flung her arms about him.Remus noticed that she did not doff her hood."Gods, how I've missed you all, sir!", she exclaimed in a rich alto."You, McGonagall, Sinistra, Vector, Hooch, Pomfrey, Flitwick, Sprout, and Hagrid!I miss Dumbledore, too, but I'm glad he's minister now; Fudge was _useless_!"

"We agree on that score, dear girl", Snape nodded indulgently.

There was a rueful gleam in those amber eyes."Pity about Quirrell", she sighed."He was a good teacher until that terrible run-in with a vampire who turned out to be the Dark Lord."She shivered visibly at that and grimaced."Of course, I'd have liked him better if he'd only, well…"She just spread her hands helplessly."No help for that now, I'm afraid; what's done is done."

A slightly misty-eyed Snape clasped her hands with great understanding."That's all over now, Starlight", he told her."However, I _am_ glad to have you aboard."He suddenly remembered Remus and stared at him in consternation; the latter simply got up and offered to go to McGonagall's office by himself.

"You seem to have lots of catching up to do", he said simply, a pleasant smile on his face.However, he silently noted that Starlight's golden eyes widened when she finally noticed him."I'll go on ahead."

"Oh…"Hastily, Snape managed to stop him long enough for a few hasty introductions."I'm forgetting my manners", he stammered."Starlight, this is…"

"Professor Remus J. Lupin."Politely, Starlight inclined her head towards him even as they shook hands.There was no trace of alarm in her voice."We finally meet", she said."Your reputation _has_ preceded you, though, in the guise of your _nom de plume_: Romulus Moony, author of _Hairy Snout, Human Heart_."

"You seem incredibly well-informed, Professor Amihan Sinagtala."Remus answered her frank gaze with his own sharp violet eyes."It would be fascinating to work with another Gryffindor this year."He grinned at Snape."Present company notwithstanding, of course."He turned back to Starlight."I trust your father is well, Professor Sinagtala?"

"You've met?"

"Yes.About a year after I left Hogwarts, to be exact.I was in your home country with my father; we were working on a book on local wizards' customs."

"_The Lore of the Mangkukulams_."There was a faint smile in those golden eyes."That was a well-documented and well-written book and I liked it."She checked her watch and frowned."Hmm…You two seem to be headed for some place; then, I won't detain you any longer."When she turned away, she addressed Remus with an odd note to her voice."It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Professor Lupin."

"And I you, Professor Sinagtala", Remus agreed pleasantly, even if she hadn't bothered to look his way when she spoke.

"I look forward to working alongside you, then."With that, she disappeared down the dim corridor.

"Don't let her get to you, Remus", Snape advised him, offering an apology on Starlight's behalf."Starlight's always had a bit of an – um – attitude problem.She can be very snippy, but I assure you that she's a delightful person to know."

"I have no doubts about that", Remus agreed as they left the room, "seeing how happy and enthusiastic she was to see you."But there was a troubled cast to his thin face."I can't say the same thing for me, though; she put her guard up before you introduced me."

He said no more about it as they made their way to McGonagall's office.However, Remus had a nagging feeling that this was but the first in a series of encounters with the fiery-seeming witch Snape had called Starlight.


	2. The Sorting Ceremony

Starlight and Moonlight 2

Starlight and Moonlight 

A _Harry Potter _Fan Fiction Piece by 

Megaella Ballanche Viewlard

**Part Two: ** The Sorting Ceremony 

_Note: With the exception of the Sinagtalas and a number of characters ranging from ickle firsties to Hogwarts alumini/alumnae who will be cropping up, all characters are the property of JK Rowling/Bloomsbury/Scholastic – _not_ mine.I'm not worthy…_

_ _

Hogwarts was the sort of place where you could walk through a corridor, turn a corner, and probably find yourself face to face with the child you used to be.

At least, that was what Starlight thought as she listlessly walked through the school she'd grown up in.It was two hours before the Sorting Ceremony and she could not seem to sit still.It was as if something within her, some sort of desire long kept suppressed, was compelling her to traverse through the halls.

How old was she when she first came to Hogwarts?_Twenty-three days short of my eleventh birthday_, Starlight thought wryly as she passed the dungeon-level classrooms for Professor Snape's Potions classes._Dad had just been made ambassador so we had to move.Dad and Mom would be taking most of us along, but _Kuya[D][1] _Makisig, _Ate[F][2] _Sining, and _Ate _Marilag wouldn't be going._ Mac, the eldest and only son who was fourteen years older than Starlight, was already done with college by that time and working.Sining, two years younger than Mac, had also finished school and had just gotten married.Marilag, the third daughter, was already a junior at university so a move would have been very hard on her.Only the two younger girls came along: Amihan (Starlight) and her twin sister Alapaap.Of the two, only Starlight had received a letter from Hogwarts.Alapaap was, much to their parents' chagrin, a Squib and was sent to a posh private school – a move that never could quite salve Mrs. Sinagtala as it was, nevertheless, a _Muggle_ school.

As she walked, Starlight seemed to hear long-ago conversations about classes, dormitory frolics, practical jokes played on the unsuspecting, grades, Quidditch matches, owls from home, and – as they grew older – trips to the nearby village of Hogsmeade.Most of Starlight's classmates lived their own lives now though some, alas, had been killed, executed, or imprisoned for serving the Dark Lord.

_And only _I_ have returned to Hogwarts…_But there was no bitterness in the idea though Starlight's sentiments regarding the matter were bittersweet.

She paused before a huge painting of a plump woman.It was a painting so familiar that Starlight really had to stop and say hello to the Fat Lady who guarded Gryffindor Tower.

"What are _you_ doing here?"The Fat Lady was surprised at seeing Starlight grinning up at her."I thought you'd left ages ago!"

"So I did", Starlight nodded."But there was a vacancy in the faculty so I applied for the job."Underbreath, she muttered, "Sure beats looking for one back home."Talented as she was, she had a very hard time adjusting to her homeland especially after spending most of her life abroad.

"What happened to your accent?", the Fat Lady asked her."You sound like an American, a New Worlder!"

"Spent two years after Hogwarts at NYU and spent the next four years spanning the globe", the young witch admitted."Say, um, is it okay if I came in for a bit?I mean, I don't know the passwords and…"

"Say no more!"The portrait swung itself forward to reveal the circular entrance to the Tower."Come on in.Oh, by the way, the new Headmistress is already inside checking on a few things."The Fat Lady giggled."Doesn't care to admit that she just misses being Head of House after being one for about twenty years!"

Starlight eased herself over the high threshold and found herself in the cozy red and gold common room of the Gryffindors.There was a fire burning brightly in the grate and there was a tabby cat with spectacle markings around its eyes.It was staring into the fire, sitting on one of the throw pillows off one of the squishy armchairs.It turned its head and meowed to the newcomer in greeting.

"Good afternoon, Headmistress."Starlight inclined her head politely before settling into one of the armchairs.She pushed back the hood of her cloak as she sat back and sighed deeply."Great to be back", she murmured.

There was a loud _pop_ and the cat turned into Minerva McGonagall, sitting tailor-fashion on the cushion by the fire.

"Surely you weren't unhappy in your travels, Amihan", she said, addressing her by her real name.

"No, I wasn't, ma'am.But…"Starlight could not put it in words: that strange compulsion for looking for something that she didn't even know.She hunched forward, hands clasped on her lap and sighed again."Mom says I'm probably at some sort of crossroads where I have to decide where to go next."

"And Hogwarts is where all those paths converge before parting again?"

"I…I guess so."

McGonagall got up and sat in the chair next to Starlight's."You were always one of my best students", she said."I had very little to complain about you, though there were times when you went out of your way to be a most exasperating little git."She chuckled as her mind's eye saw Starlight, aged fourteen and absolutely furious, going ballistic over the mark she got in one of her classes."Professor Quirrell's a lucky man he's dead; otherwise, you probably would have chewed him out by now."

_Professor Quirrell…_The man's name was enough to set Starlight's blood to a slow simmer.Absently, her hands clutched the arms of her chair.Nothing could ever banish the memory of the day when her record was, in her eyes at least, tarnished…

"Exam results are in!"

The fourth-years all looked apprehensive as the results of their final examinations were posted by subject near the different classrooms.Those in Gryffindor House held their breaths as they checked each list, exulting in the fact that one of their number had been getting perfect grades in every subject since they were in their first year.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!", Harry Eastville declared with aplomb as they traversed the halls en masse."I give you the shining star of the House of Godric Gryffindor: the unassailable, unattainable, nigh-on-impossible _Starlight Sinagtala_!"

In the middle of the cheering group was a fabulous-looking girl with exotic features, honey-toned skin, and blue-black hair that fell in shimmering waves to her waist.Her head was held in a confident manner, but not so confident that she looked smug.The boys in her class and even older ones could not help but stare at her speculatively as she passed.The other girls gazed at her enviously.She was top in all her subjects and would be Prefect come the next term.

_Prefect is just a misspelled version of perfect_, she thought, smiling benevolently as she passed them.

_Perfection…_

It was a dream, a goal for Starlight who, even at fourteen, had already gone through a number of hard knocks.Her mother's attending doctor and her Muggle-born father's mother had declared her abnormal because of the unusual color of her eyes – as yellow as those of an owl – the minute she was born.The kids at that Muggle school she'd been to before entering Hogwarts had been no better, hurling epithets at her 24-7-365, making her life a living hell.She'd reciprocated discreetly, of course, with any number of horrid hexes and spells she could learn on her own.

_You guys were just jealous_, she thought with an ironic smirk._The whole bloody lot of you always were – just because _I_ have powers and _you don't_!If only you could see me now…_

"100% in Potions – wow, Starlight!"Kit Thatcher, Starlight's best friend, had whistled admiringly as they made their way out of the dungeon classroom where Professor Snape held sway."They say that no Gryffindor has ever aced Potions since Snape took over!"

"So Snape himself says", Starlight grinned.Severus Snape was a regular ornery cuss in the classroom, a former Slytherin who had no love lost for those in Gryffindor.His hatred for them was such that he was not above taking points from them for even the pettiest of reasons.Starlight, however, was an exception from the very start when she opted to work _alone_ instead of with a lab partner.Her work had even surpassed the surly professor's and had earned her his rather begrudged admiration.

"You should've been in Slytherin, Sinagtala", he'd grunted after she aced a particularly grueling practical quiz."You've got the proper lack of scruples for it; you'd stoop at nothing to get what you want." 

"Sir, the measure of what's good or bad differs from person to person and I do believe that if you really want something you ought to do anything in your power to get it", she'd replied somewhat coolly, returning his stern gaze."Besides: it was not _my_ decision to be in Gryffindor.It was the Sorting Hat's."

"You'll go far, Sinagtala", Snape had grinned approvingly.

"I should", Starlight had shot back, her face set and her eyes bleak."I _have _to."Snape did a double-take when he heard her final words: they were not the words of an average fourteen-year-old – witch _or_ Muggle.

Perfection…

The teachers admired her drive and her unflappable spirit, the way she aced her classes and played Quidditch.Her own House captain, Charlie Weasley, had suggested that she try Quidditch as a career when she finished school; she was the only girl in Hogwarts who had ever played Beater and had frightened all their opponents with her ruthlessness in clubbing the dreaded Bludgers after them, giving Charlie ample room to chase after the Golden Snitch.It seemed that there was nothing she could possibly be second best in.

That is, until the fourth-year Gryffindor class stopped at the door of Professor Quirrell's Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom.

The Gryffindors had been told when they started at Hogwarts that their House had the honor of having been home to the only student in nearly 500 years who got perfect grades in the subject for seven years running: a boy by the name of Remus J. Lupin.Not even the legendary James Potter ever came quite close to rivaling his expertise in the subject.Rumor had it that Lupin was now an Auror working for the Ministry of Magic: he was said to be _that_ good.Starlight meant to match – if not surpass – Lupin's record.

However, Snape had scoffed that Lupin was good at absolutely everything but was an almost complete dunce in potions.When she'd been told that, Starlight's ambitious streak grew stronger.She hoped to become the first Gryffindor to ace absolutely everything Hogwarts could throw at her.__

That year, Quirrell had been teaching them about curses and counter-curses.Starlight read everything that she could about them and practiced her counter-curses every spare minute that she had.Quirrell had warned them that it would be difficult to get a perfect grade in his subject that year as curses and the countering spells were beyond the league of the other things they'd discussed over the past few years.

"Remus Lupin nearly _died_ countering the dreaded _Avada Kedavra_", Quirrell had told his class darkly.Quirrell had been a Hufflepuff and they had DADA with the Gryffindors in their fourth year; Lupin had been his classmate.He told them of how a slight-bodied fourteen year old valiantly stood up against the curse twelve years before – that very same curse Voldemort had used upon the many he massacred in the dark days when he thirsted for power.Quirrell went on to say that the whole thing was the result of a practical examination item gone horribly wrong: how the curse had been aimed at a friend and how young Lupin had jumped in to counter the blow."He ended up spending the last week of the term in the hospital wing", Quirrell went on with a _that's that_ tone and a shrug."The rest, of course, is history."

"How'd he do it?", Starlight had asked, her voice and manner filled with awe at Quirrell's story.

"I seriously don't know, Miss Sinagtala", Quirrell had replied as he wrote the day's assignment on the board."But a gift like Lupin's is rare; I have yet to see another."

Starlight had meant to be that other person who was uncommonly gifted in countering the forces of darkness.The examination Quirrell had given them was a written one wherein they were asked to describe how they would deal with a number of annoying hexes and dangerous curses.The honey-skinned girl had worked on her scrolls most thoroughly and methodically, writing the methods she thought would be most appropriate.She was sure that she would pass with flying colors: didn't she always?

It should be mentioned at this point that Quirrell's examination was one of the most difficult ever done at Hogwarts.To the other students, even a barely passing mark was heaven given the grueling set of questions they had to go through.

At last, the exam results were posted outside the DADA classroom.Everyone else sighed in relief when they saw that they had managed to scrape through by the skin of their teeth.Starlight, however, was livid.

Her name was on top, all right.But her mark was merely 75%.It was quite high – exceptional, even – given the degree of the exam's difficulty.To Starlight, alas, it was not good enough.

"_Seventy-five percent?_", she'd hollered, bursting into Quirrell's classroom in a fury."Do you honestly think I'd _settle_ for a _measly_ seventy-five percent?"

Her classmates had to drag her out of the classroom before she could pounce on Quirrell who had tried his best to explain to her how risky the methods she'd chosen were if put into practice.For once, even their normally unshakable Head of House Minerva McGonagall was taken aback by the girl's sudden rage and was at a loss as to how they could console the furious Starlight.

She'd fled from them, ashamed of being less than perfect, and had gone weeping to Professor Snape who was, himself, shocked to see his favorite student shaken so.He'd fixed her a calming potion that, alas, elicited some pretty sharp words from her.Tears still running down her face, she'd slapped the goblet out of Snape's hands, proceeded to empty the cauldron into the sink in the corner, and stirred up her own batch.

"You call yourself a Potions master?", she'd roared at her abashed teacher."You're supposed to add the Saint John's Wort last!"

Snape wearily dragged a hand over his face and regarded her half with annoyance and half with sympathy.

"You're driving yourself too far, too fast, and too hard!", he'd scolded her when he regained his composure.

"And it's perfectly obvious that I didn't drive myself hard enough!"

"Sinagtala, why must you be so bull-headed about being perfect when you know damned well you're only human!Not even us wizards are exempted from such a fate and you – of all people – should know that."

"Yeah?", she'd snorted contemptuously."I don't suppose there was anything special about Remus Lupin that allowed him to ace DADA – along with _everything else, _lousy Potions grade notwithstanding?"

Snape's eyes narrowed at that; there was a look filled with sheer malice on his sallow, unpleasant face."Now that you mentioned it, yes", he said, slowly pacing the room."Lupin was human enough, I'll give you that – sickly little wimp that he was.But there was something about Lupin that enabled him to understand the darkness better than most wizards."He did not even bother to choose his words carefully and threw the brunt of the truth at Starlight."Sinagtala, Lupin was – and still probably is as there's no cure for it – a _werewolf_."

Starlight had gasped, eyes widening in horror at the idea.Snape, however, was nonplussed by her surprise."Unless one was actually working for Voldemort, you don't get any closer to the darkness than _that_."

Snape's already frosty demeanor seemed to get colder as he spoke about Remus Lupin, as if some long-hidden hatred was being unleashed in the process of pacing back and forth."Yes, I remember it well, _too _well as a matter of fact.I nearly got myself killed after his beastly friends tried to lure me to where he was being sent whenever he transformed.If that wretched James Potter hadn't dragged me back, someone _else_ would have been your Potions master by now!"

It seemed that Starlight, who by this time had calmed down considerably, had curled up into herself.Her golden eyes were like topazes set in a golden mask contorted with anger, anger that she was good but not good enough.Anger because she got top marks – but they were not high enough.Anger because she turned out second best and someone who wasn't even entirely human had beaten her.It was unfair.

"Nothing in life is ever fair, Sinagtala", Snape was saying, but Starlight was no longer listening.The shame of being imperfect – no matter how hard she tried not to be so – weighed heavy on her soul.In tears, she burst out of Snape's office.

She did not remember what direction she ran into on that terrible day.All she would be able to recall much, much later on was that she found herself in the room where the graduation portraits of Hogwarts' finest students lined the walls.The portraits had been talking quietly among themselves but had fallen silent upon seeing a living person entering the room.

Starlight looked around her and demanded in a furious voice, "Which one of you is Remus Lupin?"

The portraits all stared at her for a bit, then murmured among themselves until a slight cough made Starlight turn.It was the portrait of a youth of about seventeen or eighteen, androgynously pretty because of delicate features and the fact that he was quite thin.The portrait had light brown hair lightly speckled with gray and gentle violet eyes.The face in the portrait looked kind and gentle, its voice low and soft-spoken.

"You were looking for me, Miss?"He tilted his head to one side, a shy smile on his sweet face."Well, here I am."

"See here", the irate student now yelled at the portrait who looked crestfallen at her vehemence."You'd better start hiding now, you regular hindrance!When I finally get out of this school, I'll make sure I have a silver bullet with your name one it!"She stormed out of the room, leaving the portraits to babble excitedly, nervously about that implied threat…

_And now _he_'s Head of Gryffindor House…_

__Starlight also remembered that a _second _person had also weathered the dreaded Avada Kedavra and lived to tell about it.Harry Potter, son of the legendary James Potter who was – to her chagrin – one of Lupin's closest Hogwarts friends.As she clambered over the high threshold that led into the dim hallway, Starlight pulled her hood over her face once more.

"I wonder why you keep doing that", the Fat Lady told her critically."I'd understand if you were as ugly as a monkey's bottom, but you're not – far from it, as a matter of fact.So, why do you keep doing it?"

A lump seemed to form in Starlight's throat at that question."Force of habit", she muttered.

"I'd break that habit if I were you", the Fat Lady advised her.She shook her head incredulously."Why would such a pretty girl want to try and hide such perfect looks, I wonder…"

_Perfect_…

Starlight's breath caught on the lump and she forced herself to gulp down her nervousness, a nervousness that mounted when she realized that the Sorting Ceremony would start in the next fifteen minutes.Trembling in every nerve, she doffed her hood and pulled off her cloak, slinging it over one arm.

"That's my good girl", the Fat Lady called after her.

_Okay, Starlight, _the young professor thought apprehensively as she made her way to the Great Hall._It's show time._

_ _

"Do be a bit more careful, Neville!", Parvati Patil cried, snatching her hat out of harm's way."You nearly dented my hat!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Parvati", Neville Longbottom apologized."But has anyone seen Trevor?I think I've lost him again."

"Neville", came Lavender Brown's exasperated reply, "aren't you _always_ losing your toad?"

"Very sorry, Lavender."Poor Neville's round face was a rosy red now.""But I misplaced my Remembrall and…"

The entire sixth-year Gryffindor class groaned at that.

Seamus Finnegan stared at him, not knowing quite what to say except, "Neville, how could you _possibly_ misplace a Remembrall?"

Spirits ran high in the Great Hall that evening as the older students poured into it.All of them were clad in the black robes and tall pointed hats that were the uniform of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.As the teachers entered the room, the babble of young voice grew even more excited.

"Oh, gods!It's Professor Lupin!

"They weren't kidding: he's back!

"He really is!"

There were all abuzz at seeing familiar faces at the High Table: severe Headmistress McGonagall, tiny Professor Flitwick and stodgy Professor Sprout, gentle-faced Professor Lupin (back after a couple of years fighting Voldemort, his horrible secret spilled by Professor Snape's malice) and sallow-countenanced Professor Snape.A number of other teachers also appeared but the frowzy Divination teacher Sybil Trelawney was not among their number.(Come to think of it, she never bothered to appear at school feasts as she claimed that they clouded the All-Seeing Eye – duh…)The presence of Sirius Black, ex-escaped convict and hero of the Order of the Phoenix, made for even louder buzzing among the students, his bold and brash good looks and towering reputation setting more than a few hearts aflutter.Rubeus Hagrid, the massive gamekeeper who handled Care of Magical Creatures, was still out leading the first-years into the school.

But that was not what got the students so curious.It was the seeming absence of the new face they had been told about, the teacher who would take over for the dearly departed (for ages) Professor Binns. 

Remus tried _not_ to think about Professor Sinagtala who most obviously didn't like him on first sight the first – and only – time they'd met.His concentration was more focused on the goblet of Wolfsbane Potion set before him.Grimacing at the prospect of the stuff's horrible taste lingering in his mouth, he drained the goblet and set it down, still smoking, upon the table.He shuddered visibly as the thought of the dreadful flavor made itself real upon his tongue.As beneficial as the potion was, he fervently wished that it had tasted better.

"I wouldn't mind so much if it didn't taste so bitter", he murmured glumly to himself."But sugar just nixes it.Oh, well…"Better to have a mouthful of the bitter stuff than go about marauding innocent lives once a month.

"Think of it this way", Snape advised Remus as he slid into his place beside him at the High Table."If all medicines tasted good, people would get addicted.That's why most remedies taste so vile: it's motivation for the patient to recover."He stopped when Remus's pale face went blank."Oh, my.I forgot about _that_.I'm sorry…"

_Recovery…_Remus's face clouded over with pain.The best the potion could do was suppress the more violent aspects of the werewolf state, particularly deadening the beast's intrinsic appetite for human flesh.Alas, a _full_ cure for lycanthropy had yet to be discovered.Remus tried not to think about it, but a pang of envy hit him whenever he saw his friends, family, and colleagues living normal wizards' lives.It was a particularly depressing thought that dampened the Welcoming Feast for him.

_I _ought_ to be used to it by now_, he thought morosely._But…_He sighed deeply, thinking about how nice it would've been to be normal just like everyone else.

There was a commotion at the entrance to the Great Hall – and it _wasn't_ the presence of the first years.The students all fell silent as a newcomer made her way in, walking – no, _strutting_ – towards the High Table.Remus gasped when he saw a pair of amber eyes flash his way.

_Oh, gods!_, he thought, shaken at the sight of such beauty coming his way.That's_ what was under her hood?!?_

"That's the new teacher?", Dean Thomas, all agog, gasped.

"Guess so", Seamus agreed with him, also wide-eyed."She sure is a _babe_!"

The newcomer was a stunningly beautiful woman in her mid-twenties with exotic features that were a mix of the best that could be bred in the east and west.She had tawny, flawless, honey-colored skin and glossy blue-black hair that was intricately braided to form a coronet about her head; the hairstyle made her look like a queen and her bearing emphasized her looks.She was clad in a tight leather bodysuit and boots covered with a soft robe in dark blue velvet held in front with a silver chain closure wrought in the shape of a chain of rosebuds.Instead of the traditional pointed hat, her coronet of braids was topped with a blue velvet skullcap embroidered with magical symbols from the mystical east.As if none of that were breathtaking enough, a tantalizing fragrance reminiscent of rare damask roses emanated from her – and her eyes…

Those glorious golden eyes…

"That's Amihan Sinagtala!", Hermione exclaimed in whispers to the others."The witch anthropologist!"

"Wasn't she in the _Prophet_ a few weeks ago?", Harry asked, scarcely daring to take his eyes off her."Something about her doing research on fantastic beasts?"

Hermione nodded."I knew she was here", she said, "but I never counted on her _teaching_ at Hogwarts!"

"She's a goddess…", Ron sighed dreamily.Irritated, a jealous Hermione cuffed him on the head to make him more rational."Though she's definitely not in _your _league, dear."_Far from it, though!_

__Ginny was glaring at Harry in a similar fashion, but stopped when he laughed and pointed at Sirius.

"Look at Sirius!", he chortled, pointing to his astonished foster-father.Ginny looked at the High Table and squealed with laughter at what she saw.

"He's absolutely _gobsmacked_ by her!", she guffawed.

Sirius Black nearly stared his eyes out at the glamorous apparition before them.He gazed upon her in blatant admiration and unabashedly wolf-whistled as she took Professor Snape's hand as he helped her up the dais.The young witch affectionately shook hands with the older professors and was delightedly swept up into a shaggy bear hug by Hagrid when the giant gamekeeper entered the Hall.As for Sirius, she smiled somewhat slyly at him and lightly slapped his shoulder as he passed.

"Quit that, you dog", she said.

"I'm no dog, Miss!", Sirius declared with aplomb."I'm a wolf: a big, hungry wolf – and I'm gonna eat you up!"

The newcomer smirked wickedly at that frank declaration and rested a hand on Remus's thin shoulder.

"You're no wolf, mister", she said with finality.She gazed boldly into Remus's startled violet eyes."I know a _real_ wolf when I see one.Don't I, Professor Lupin?"

Sirius's jaw dropped as Remus smiled up at the lovely young witch and said, "Perhaps you do, Professor Sinagtala.By the way: this is Professor Black.Sirius, this is Professor Sinagtala."

"_Enchanté, _Professor Black."Starlight's face had a look of satisfaction as she mannishly shook hands with the still stunned Sirius before taking her seat – between Severus Snape and Remus Lupin!To make matters worse, Hagrid sat between the two friends.In effect, it prevented Sirius from interrogating Remus about the new teacher, about why he didn't tell her that they'd already met.Sirius sincerely thought it was the worst day of his life.

The nervous first-years entered the Great Hall in a shaky albeit orderly line.

"You will please excuse me, won't you?"Professor Snape apologetically looked Starlight's way as he rose to handle the Sorting; he was now Deputy Headmaster, after all.He clasped Remus's shoulder as he passed."I trust you'll keep Starlight occupied, Remus?"

"I'll try my best, Severus", Remus replied apprehensively.He looked at Starlight as if she were a venomous snake poised to strike._How can I strike up a conversation with a girl who's probably spent part of her life getting ready to kill me?_, he thought worriedly.

He did not have much time to worry about that as the Sorting Hat had begun the song for the year.It sang about its usual topics: the virtues of the four founders and the qualities that made up the characters of the residents of the four Houses that bore their names.Professor Snape gave the directions for the first-years: that they were to come forward as they were called, put on the Hat, and just let the ragged little piece of magical headwear place them in the House it felt best for them.

"I always thought it made a mistake in Sorting me", Starlight chuckled wryly, half to herself and _sotto voce _to Remus.

"Because it put you in Gryffindor?", he wondered.

She nodded, a rueful smile on her lips."Actually, I always thought I was more a Slytherin than anything else", she admitted.

"So Professor Snape has told me, but he never quite explained why."

"Two adjectives and a descriptive phrase, Professor Lupin: ruthless, vicious, and no-nonsense.People have been using them to describe me since I was very young.Not quite the words you'd use to describe a Gryffindor, huh?"

"I'm afraid I can't judge for myself on that score", Remus admitted."Seeing that I don't know you that well, of course."He suddenly grew somber."But really: a vicious, ruthless, no-nonsense Gryffindor is a lot better than a manipulative, two-faced, and treacherous one."

"You mean Peter Pettigrew, I suppose?I take it you knew him."

"_Knew_ him?"The snort of laughter Remus gave took Starlight aback as it was rather contemptuous – something she didn't quite expect from the kindly professor."I _thought_ I did until a few years ago when it turned out that he'd framed Sirius to cover up the fact that he was one of Voldemort's Death Eaters!"

Starlight studied him in silence._A werewolf…_In her travels and studies, werewolves were usually violent both as beasts and men._Why is this guy so meek and so pleasant and so…_She frowned with great disapproval at his frayed, patched, and darned robes, comparing them wordlessly to the spanking best robes of the other teachers and her own elegant outfit._…shabby?_

Snape had begun to call the roll: "Ames, Faye!"

A pretty, dark-haired girl with blue eyes scampered forward.

"RAVENCLAW!", came the Hat's shout.

"Arisugawa, Juri!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Well, that's the first of our newbies", Starlight murmured.

"Yup", Remus agreed.He chose his next words carefully."Um, if it isn't too invasive, Professor Sinagtala, but what has Professor Snape told you about me?"

"I was wondering why you were so tense."Starlight pursed her lips thoughtfully for a bit, then began talking in a very soft voice."When I was younger, he'd tell me what a dunce you were in Potions."When Remus winced, she managed to giggle wryly."He said he hated you like the plague, especially when your friends nearly got him killed."Remus held his breath, fearing the worst.But, "He never gave the details, but it must've been pretty hair-raising as the grudge he bore you guys lasted for ages."Remus sighed in relief.More seriously, Starlight went on to say that he was the only student in Hogwarts to have passed the DADA subject with perfect grades for seven years running and that he was always so nice even after having been beaten up by Snape and a number of bigger Slytherins.They both laughed at that.Then, "He also said you were a werewolf."Starlight turned to him with apprehension on her face."It isn't true, is it?"

The look Remus gave her was neither angry nor reproachful.However, it was sad and grave and he looked away almost immediately, pale cheeks flushed.

"I will deny any number of things people have said – and will say – about me", he told her calmly."But I will _not_ deny the fact that I _am_ a werewolf."

Neither of them spoke any further as the Sorting Ceremony ended amidst thunderous applause and Professor Snape joined them at the table once more.The new Headmistress rose for the traditional welcoming remarks."Vintage McGonagall" was how the alumni among the faculty described them: short and straightforward.She told them that she was glad to welcome the newcomers to Hogwarts and extended her welcome to the returning students.There were the usual advisories on not going into the Forbidden Forest and to avoid the Whomping Willow at all costs.(Remarks that, alas, elicited mischievous grins from Sirius, Remus, Harry, and his friends that everyone was at a loss to explain.)Those in the upper five years were told to give their Hogsmeade slips to the Heads of their Houses as soon as possible: to Sprout for Hufflepuff, Flitwick for Ravenclaw, Snape for Slytherin, and Lupin for Gryffindor.That last name brought thunderous applause that was only silenced when Remus smiled benevolently at his House from the High Table.

"Speaking of which", Headmistress McGonagall went on, "we are _so_ happy to have you back, Professor Lupin.We're probably the only wizarding school in the country to have a werewolf teaching!"As most of the students and all the faculty were aware of this, they burst out into peals of good-natured laughter.The first, second, and third-years' eyes however went round with a sense of foreboding.The sly wink Remus threw their way, however, put them at ease._I may be a werewolf_, he seemed to say, _but I'm pretty harmless as werewolves go, never fear._

"Which brings us to the newcomers among our faculty!"The Headmistress's normally severe face broke into a rare smile.

"I love it when she does that!", Hermione declared.

"_You_ would", Ron chuckled, gently nudging her in the ribs."You're probably the only one who ever gets a smile out of her!"

"No, I'm not, and you know it!" 

"Yeah, right…"

"Everyone knows Professor Sirius Black who has kindly consented to replace me as Transfiguration teacher", the Headmistress went on.Awed whispers followed that announcement as Sirius's reputation had long since preceded his actual presence at Hogwarts.

Sirius looked pained at what she said._Kindly consented_?_Why, Remus and Harry had to drag me kicking and screaming to accept it for crying out loud!_

"Our second new member of the faculty is another Hogwarts alumna."The Headmistress gestured to Starlight."Professor Amihan Sinagtala will be taking over Professor Binns's History of Magic classes for the first to fourth years and Cultural Magic for those in the last three levels.She's gone quite far from Hogwarts, teaching first in the Philippines where she was born and then studying all over the world.We are more than proud to have her with us this year."Starlight smiled at the cheering students in response to their applause."Now, without further ado, let the feast begin!"

The plates magically filled with food the way they always did and everyone heartily dug in.In the middle of dinner, Remus excused himself from the High Table and went down to where his House was pigging out.They roared their approval and made room for him at the table.

"Nice of you to join us, Uncle Moony", Harry grinned, calling him by the name he was referred to back home in London.

"Thanks, Harry."He slapped high-fives with his exuberant House students and asked them what their expectations for the year were before telling them his.In closing, he smirked at the sixth years, recalling the unfortunate, er, incident that happened during the summer."Of course, if I catch any of you blowing up taffy-filled cauldrons again, I will wash my hands of the lot of you."They all laughed, but it was filled with a bit of fear as none of them wanted to remember that horrid double-dose of Wolfsbane Potion.However, he winked slyly at the shaken lot."Just kidding."

Starlight's face was unreadable when he returned to the High Table and neither of them said anything.By the end of the meal, however, Remus had an odd feeling that the young witch was going to give him a pretty formidable year.She made that perfectly clear with just one eyebrow raised.

_So _that_'s what he's like!, _Starlight thought as they all parted ways for the night._Not like what I expected at all.Definitely _not_ what I expected at all…_

_ _

_ _

_ _

  


[D][3] Kuya –the Filipino honorific for older brothers; derived from the Chinese.

[F][4] Ate – the Filipino honorific for older sisters; also derived from the Chinese.

   [1]: #_ftn1
   [2]: #_ftn2
   [3]: #_ftnref1
   [4]: #_ftnref2



	3. Revelations

Starlight and Moonlight 3

Starlight and Moonlight

_A _Harry Potter _Fan Fiction Piece_

By Megaella Ballanche-Viewlard

**_Part Three: _****Revelations**

** **

_Note: With the exception of the Sinagtalas and a number of characters ranging from ickle firsties to Hogwarts alumini/alumnae who will be cropping up, all characters are the property of JK Rowling/Bloomsbury/Scholastic – _not_ mine.I'm not worthy…_****

** **

"You met that gorgeous Professor Sinagtala when McGonagall asked you to stop by last week?"

"Yep.Severus introduced me; she was one of his students some years ago."

"And you didn't even bother to tell me?"

"Seems that way, yes."

"I thought you were my best friend!" Sirius wailed as he, Remus, and the older Gryffindor students left the Great Hall after the Welcoming Feast.Absently, he added, "Come to think of it, you're the only one left, too!"

"I know", Remus replied simply, not even bothering to crack the faintest hint of a smile."Anyway, I thought you wouldn't be interested."

The Gryffindors who trailed behind the two professors sniggered wickedly at that.It was a major fib coming from Remus when it was common knowledge that anything involving beautiful women was bound to grab Sirius Black's attention.However, a slight look from their Head of House silenced them.

As they neared the corridor leading to Gryffindor Tower, Sirius bade them all good night as his own office-quarters were but a few steps away.

"I _do_ wish you'd take me along the next time someone invites you any place, Moony", he grumbled to Remus."Who knows?_I _might get lucky.Good night then, y'all."

"Of course, Padfoot."Remus nodded his way and waved goodbye.The mild tone in his voice more than irritated Sirius who groaned in exasperation as he walked off."Good night."

The Gryffindors clustered around Remus, all of them waiting with bated breath for Sirius to disappear into the darkness of the hall.At last, they heard a door open, then slam shut.All at once, they erupted into a frenzy of babbling, excitedly making comments on the stunning new teacher and how she seemed to favor the frail-bodied Remus over Sirius's bad-boy good looks.

"Jeez, sir!", Dean exclaimed."She seems to like you!"

"A _lot_!", Seamus sighed enviously.

"I'm afraid you've all got it quite wrong."Remus had an oddly guarded expression on his thin face that sat somewhat inappropriately with the wistful smile on his lips."What Professor Sinagtala did was a defense mechanism."

"A _what_?", they chorused in incredulous unison.

"The girls would understand", he said in an offhand manner."It's what they do when they feel that someone undesirable's bugging them.In this case, Professor Sinagtala must have felt that Padfoot was getting a tad too friendly _before_ they'd even been introduced.So she used me as a sort of shield to block him out of her way."

"You mean, you were just a _decoy_?"Ron was shaken by the mere idea.He shook his head in disbelief."Bummer!"

"Now: I want you all to say no more about what happened this evening."Somewhat paternally, he turned to face them with an admonition as they stopped before the portrait of the Fat Lady."That's all over now.Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor Lupin", the entire lot chorused, feeling more than a little chastened by the sternness of his admonition.Harry, however, looked at Remus skeptically.Much as his godfather had been able to keep secrets before, what happened early that evening seemed to have bothered him more than he cared to let on.

"Oh, you're here, then", the Fat Lady greeted them sleepily. "Password?"

"_Mahô-tsukai_", Remus replied.The portrait swung forward to let them in.Remus allowed his students to haul each other in first and did so until Harry and Ron helped the last person – in this case, as usual, Neville – over the high threshold of the portrait hole.He would've clambered up himself if Harry and Ron hadn't hauled him up and over."Oh, thank you."

"Wasn't that Japanese?", Harry asked as the three of them closed the portrait hole for the night.He remembered the language from the texts on fighting _yôko_[_¶_][1] and _kôrime_[__][2] Remus had translated for that year's DADA syllabus for the sixth-year classes.Sometimes, he uttered the words aloud whenever he felt that there was something wrong or lacking in the translation.

Remus nodded his approval."Yes", he said with a smile and a pat on the bespectacled boy's shoulder."It's one of the terms used to describe wizards, of course.Literally, it means _magic user_."He winked conspiratorially."Unless all of you get too stunned just staring at her, I'm sure Professor Sinagtala will explain it to you in depth."He looked around at the sixth and seventh-years all still bumming around the common room, warming themselves by the fire that burned brightly in the grate."It's getting late", he advised them. "Classes all start tomorrow and I want everyone to get a good start.Please get to bed now, all of you."

One by one, or in twos and threes, the students slung their folded cloaks over arms or shoulders and began trudging up to their dormitories.

"Nighty-night, sir."

"G'night, sir!"

"Pleasant dreams!"

"Don't let the bedbugs bite – "

" – and hope that there aren't any boggarts under your bed!"

The all laughed as a smiling Remus waved them all up the stairs.

Harry, however, had stayed behind.He sat in the armchair closest to the fire, eyes seemingly lost in thought.

"Harry, go get some sleep", Remus admonished him as he came to stand behind the boy's chair."It's been a long day."

"I will in a bit, Uncle Moony", Harry replied, calling Remus by his nickname."Good night."

Remus reached around the chair to wrap his godson in a fatherly hug before going up the stairs to his own chambers, yawning as he trudged wearily up the steps.

Harry studied him as he went up the spiraling staircase that led to the upper reaches of the Tower.Other than Dumbledore, Remus had been the first person who had served to act as a father figure to Harry.At the time, of course, they had all thought that Harry's godfather was a standard-issue convicted magical murderer (as opposed to Marauder which was what he, Harry's dad, Remus, and some – er – traitor had been years ago) moldering in Azkaban.In fact, Harry never told either Remus or Sirius that he'd often imagined that it was the _former_ who was his godfather since he was always looking out for Harry's best interests while the _latter_ – despite the fact that he'd also risked his own neck for the boy any number of times – was more like the bachelor uncle who was forever getting into scrapes.Indeed, Harry often wondered why his mother and father hadn't considered getting Remus instead of Sirius to stand at his christening – then he remembered the beast Remus became once every month.At the time Harry was born, the Wolfsbane Potion had not yet been discovered.That fact alone made Harry shudder at what could have happened if he was growing up in the same house with Remus during a full moon.The youth shook his head, seriously wondering what might have been if circumstances were different.

"Uncle Moony", he now called up to the lone figure sleepily stumbling up the staircase.

Remus stopped and leaned over the railing to get a good look at him."Yes, Harry?"

"Could I, well…" Harry knew that Remus was exhausted from the trip and needed sleep now that the full moon was but a week away.But something nagged at him that demanded an immediate answer."Could I please ask you something?"

Sensing that all was not well with his godson, Remus started back down the stair to take the armchair beside Harry's.

"What is it?", he asked, violet eyes gleaming with concern through the flickering light of the fire."Is anything the matter?"

"Not really", Harry replied uncomfortably.But, "Sirius isn't really mad at you, is he?"

Upon hearing this, Remus suddenly burst into a peal of relieved laughter."Not really", he replied, chuckling at the idea."Ron would probably feel the same way with you if _you_ met a very pretty girl and didn't bother to tell him."

The next question, however, caught him off guard."You like Professor Sinagtala, don't you?"

Remus seemed to freeze where he sat and was silent for a few minutes before managing a rueful giggle."Er…"How was he to explain to Harry that…Impatient with himself, he scratched the back of his head, looking rather clueless as he did.

"Well?", Harry pressed on.

"You've got it all wrong, I'm afraid."

"And why?Don't tell me it's another diversionary tactic, Uncle Moony."

"It isn't that, Harry."Remus's eyes narrowed at his godson and he chose his words carefully so as not to startle him into yelling and waking up everyone in the Tower.Harry's eyes were as round as saucers when Remus told him what Snape had said about Amihan Sinagtala."Severus doesn't think she was serious", he was now telling Harry, "but he didn't see the look in her eyes."

"She does have the weirdest eyes, doesn't she?"

"I know, but I never really…"Since they met, Starlight's eyes had been a constant source of annoyance for Remus.He'd read about women with eyes like hers somewhere, probably one of his journals from the time he and his father were in Asia.There was a name for them, but he could not remember just what.All he _could_ remember was that the entire lot of them were certainly more powerful than the average.That explained how easy it was for Starlight to have so nearly aced everything Hogwarts could throw her way._How can I describe those eyes?_, he thought, lips pursed into a thin, brooding line.

"They reminded me of those on a tiger I once saw at the zoo", Harry murmured; he was suitably impressed and more than a little intimidated by those eyes himself."Ron says they're more like owl's eyes or even…"He gulped as he looked candidly into Remus's face."Wolf's eyes", he managed to stammer."Do you think she might be a…"He dared not say it much as he knew that his godfather now freely admitted the truth about what he was.The idea that _another_ teacher might be one bothered him, nevertheless.

"She isn't, _that _I can assure you", Remus comforted him, squeezing the hand that lay on the arm of his chair."If she were, she'd be just like me: rather frail, hair prematurely turning gray, torn clothes darned.Don't worry, Harry; Professor Sinagtala is _not_ a werewolf."Between him and his godson, though, Remus deduced a horrific possibility."But I _do _have reason to believe she's an _Animagus_."

As the days passed, there was no doubt that Professor Sinagtala knew her stuff and made sure her students did the same.

After the droning lectures of Professor Binns, Starlight's classes were a refreshing change.She made the history classes for the younger students enjoyable by way of simulation spells that took them to where the action was during a given period and by letting them do their own research and dramatizations in the classroom.Simulation spells were also her favorite method with the older students in her Cultural Magic classes, but she preferred a hands-on approach to let them experience the magic of other nations first hand.

Though Professor Black's Transfiguration classes were very interesting (and funny as Sirius was almost always kidding around), the only subject that could give Professor Sinagtala's classes a run for their money was Professor Lupin's Defense Against the Dark Arts class.The very idea that a werewolf – a creature long associated with the Dark Arts – taught the subject very well was always a major draw, though it did scare the first and second-years silly during the first few days as they feared that their teacher might suddenly grow more hair and fangs and gobble them up wholesale when they weren't looking.

"You'll learn that I'm a perfectly harmless little fellow unless the full moon rolls up", Remus had drawled in a self-deprecating fashion to a trembling class of first-year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors."You'll know when I'm a werewolf because I'll be out for the day just to make sure that I don't hurt any of you."When they still stared at him apprehensively, he simply resorted to the expedient of conjuring up a hailstorm that scattered Chocolate Frogs over his students' desks.Needless to say that they soon warmed up to him and lessons continued smoothly after that.

Remus had never been one for the "by-the-book" approach most of the previous DADA teachers had advocated both before him and after him.

For the older students, Remus's Advanced DADA classes sometimes overlapped with the topics discussed in Starlight's Cultural Magic classes.For example: Starlight would lecture on the _aswangs_[_ç_][3] that haunted Capiz in the Visayas Region of the Philippines as part of a more extensive lecture on the magical fauna of the region but it would be Remus who would tell the students that the best way to get rid of an _aswang_ was to find the lower region of its body, top it with a rather incendiary seasoning that consisted of finely chopped red capsicums, vinegar, and lots of garlic.It would burn the _aswang _up when it came back to reclaim its lower half.Normal spells simply wouldn't get rid of it, obviously.Remus also playfully suggested that they could use the leftover seasoning to flavor an otherwise insipid meal.At first, they thought he was kidding but recanted their doubts when they saw Starlight at a meal, flavoring a rather bland stew with that self-same mixture.

Thus, before classes had even been going on for a week, the Great Hall was filled with spirited comparisons of the two subjects and the professors who handled them.Given the often loud and enthusiastic remarks roared in the process by those in the two opposing camps, it was a wonder that Remus and Starlight both turned deaf ears and blind eyes to the whole din.

Remus was, of course, too busy worrying about the approaching full moon to listen to whatever was being said by his students about his subject as opposed to someone else's.Starlight, on the other hand, was working on something that only Professor Snape seemed to know about ashe was always handing her certain potion ingredients.

Harry was bothered quite plainly by what was going on between Professors Sinagtala and Snape in light of what Remus had told him.Though Snape had loosened up on the Gryffindors, he'd clammed up rather severely when Harry dared to ask what Professor Sinagtala was up to.

"Don't go borrowing trouble, Potter", Snape had sneered while shooing the sixth-year Gryffindors out of the Potions lab one morning."Starlight knows what she's doing; I'm just loaning her a few essentials is all."

"Starlight?"Everyone stared his way, faces blank with bewilderment.

"It's her nickname!"Snape furiously threw them out of the lab and roared to the fourth-year Hufflepuffs to get a move on.

"Cool nickname", the guys all sighed.

"Suits her", the girls agreed.

Harry, however, was not one to be cowed into submission by cute nicknames, particularly where his family (well, his _de facto_ one, anyway) was concerned.He'd been orphaned once already and was not about to let it happen again if he could help it.

"You seem worried, Potter."Starlight noticed that the boy seemed distracted in class and was quick to investigate."Aren't you feeling well?Perhaps you should go see Madam Pomfrey."

"Huh?"Abashed by having been singled out for being glassy-eyed, Harry immediately snapped to attention in his seat so as not to pique her curiosity.The last thing he needed was having Starlight herself in the way."I'm perfectly fine, ma'am", he assured her."Do go on; that last bit about _neko-onna_ was very interesting."

Starlight's sixth-years had begun their study of the magical creatures of Asia and were currently discussing a most unusual type of Animagus called a _neko-onna_ which literally translated as "cat-women".Their teacher gave them a passing-fair description of the _neko-onna_, then went on to discuss the fox-demons and ice-demons Remus had been reviewing over the summer, the badger-like _tanuki_ – a thievish demon who could be bribed with noodles, thunder demons, and such monstrosities that gave them all chills that wouldn't go away until their DADA class.

When class ended for that day, Harry was about to leave the room with Ron and Hermione when:

"Potter, I'd like a word with you, please."

Hesitantly, Harry lingered in the doorway as he waited for Professor Sinagtala to speak.She motioned for him to come back in and have a seat.He obeyed, but his stomach was turning flip-flops.His thoughts raced about his mind in a worried frenzy.

Starlight closed the door and stood over Harry's desk."I understand you're Professor Lupin's ward", she said."Is it true?"

"Pretty much so, ma'am", Harry replied._Why is she asking me that?_"Actually, Professor Black is my foster-father and Professor Lupin's my godfather."

"Someone told me that both of them were great friends of your parents, Potter."

"Yes, they were.They all grew up here at Hogwarts."

There was a mysterious glint in Starlight's amber eyes and only then did Harry realize what Remus had said about her that night when they had talked about her.…_I _do_ have reason to believe she's an _Animagus_._Harry half-bolted from his seat when he finally made the connection."You!", he cried."You're a…"

"Don't say it, Potter."Starlight managed a rueful smile."I take it Professor Lupin hinted to you about it."When an ashen-faced Harry nodded, she sat down at the desk beside his."Your godfather is apparently more complicated than I thought", she murmured thoughtfully."I've studied werewolves extensively since I left Hogwarts and your godfather doesn't seem to fall in any category of werewolf behavior."

"It's probably because he was a very small boy when he was bitten", Harry replied quietly, remembering that awful summer night towards the end of his third year when the secrets of the past were revealed."The fact that his mum and dad probably did everything that they could to cure him could've made a difference."

He studied Starlight who had gone quiet as she listened to him.Like always, her expression was unreadable.

"You don't mind living with a werewolf at all?" she suddenly asked him.

"Not really", Harry replied uncomfortably.Sirius had taught him a thing or two about transforming into the stag his father had been in order to keep Remus company on the nights he changed form.The fact that everyone in their household was a beast on those nights was a constant source of comfort for Remus who felt lonely and alienated whenever the form of the beast within him took over his appearance.The memories of those awful summer nights when the three of them would watch the accursed lunar orb in their backyard lay heavy on Harry's soul.

"You are a most unusual boy, Potter", Starlight told him soberly with a hint of admiration creeping into her voice.Harry noted that her manner was reminiscent of Headmistress McGonagall's: stern, rather severe, but always sincere."You dared to beat Voldemort and won.You've consorted with all manner of wondrous folk."She managed a small smile that reminded Harry of how Remus was when they understood what he told them on that awful summer night not too long ago."I'm sure your godfather must be very proud of you."

"Well, ma'am, he won't be very happy if I show up late for his class", Harry managed to laugh as he got up.

With a flick of her wrist, parchment and a quill appeared before Starlight and she quickly scribbled an excuse slip to be given to Remus:

Professor Lupin, 

Please excuse Harry Potter for being late for his class with you.I had to ask him a few things regarding some class work.

Sincerely,

Professor Amihan Sinagtala

"I think that should take care of your – um – tardiness, Potter", Starlight smiled as she handed him the note."Run along now; I've still got lots to do."

Still looking at her warily, Harry nodded in agreement and fled the room, trembling in every nerve.

It was a Friday, the day before the full moon.

At Hogwarts, the day had always been a half-holiday: class in the mornings and the whole afternoon free after dinner at noon.

On this particular Friday, Starlight looked glum as she marched to where the teacher's brooms were kept.

Draco Malfoy, one of the sixth-year Slytherins, had heard about her apparent dislike – well, _hatred_ – of Professor Lupin.Young Malfoy had boldly volunteered to help Starlight make the DADA teacher's life a living hell.(Well, at least worse than what he was already going through with the unruly Slytherins!)

"Leave it to me, ma'am", he'd declared grandly."I have _lots_ of experience in doing just that."

Unfortunately for Draco, Professor Snape got wind of his plans and had been none too happy with either the silver-haired boy or the golden-eyed teacher.He gave them such a talking-to that Draco promptly fled and Starlight would've followed suit if she'd been made of weaker stuff.

_Regular bunch of vipers, those young Slytherins!_, Starlight thought grimly as she went down the halls.She'd tried to explain it off to Snape as a joke but he gave her a tongue-lashing that would've thrown lesser beings into Madam Pomfrey's for a week.

"Why must you keep on digging up the past?", Snape had thundered at her."Are you trying to make yourself look like a martyr, Amihan Sinagtala?Saint Starlight, patroness of thwarted perfectionists?"It was fortunate that Snape had opted to knock some sense into her in his office.Starlight was sure she'd have died of shame if he'd done so in the staff room.

_But I am neither a martyr nor am I bringing up the past_, she thought, frowning._I'm just…_

__"Sinagtala?_Amihan Sinagtala!_"A breathless, dreamy-sounding voice exclaimed from behind her.Startled, Starlight turned to see a rail-thin witch clad in a sparkly dress with wire-framed glasses perched precariously on a long, pointy nose.She blanched when she saw that witch in the glittering gown: she remembered her only too well."Dear, darling child!I _knew_ you would return here to fulfill your destiny!"

Starlight screamed and kicked up her heels, speeding off in the opposite direction.In her panic, she collided into someone carrying an armload of books from the library.The impact knocked both of them to the floor.She apologized profusely even as the sudden move to help the other person up resulted in their hearing the tearing of a darned sleeve.Starlight blanched as she stared first at the torn sleeve, then at the flabbergasted Remus Lupin.

"It's okay", he assured her in his usual good-natured fashion."It'll mend; don't fret about it."Wordlessly, Starlight helped him up and the two of them began to gather the books that had fallen because of the crash."Who were you running away from?", he asked her.

"Hmm?"She stared at him blankly.

"You screamed", Remus explained."Something – or someone – must've given you quite a fright."

"Oh."A crimson stain flooded over Starlight's face."Professor Trelawney", she blurted out, her heart still pounding.

"Professor Trelawney?"She expected him to laugh.The eccentric Divination professor may have been an oddball but that wasn't reason enough to run away from her.Thankfully, Remus refrained from even cracking a smile."I take it you had a major scare from her the last time you saw her?"When Starlight nodded mutely, he patted her hand. "Don't worry: nine times out of ten, her predictions turn out to be duds."The two of them got up and Remus hefted his heavy load in his thin arms."I'd better get this done before tomorrow", he groaned, brow furrowing with worry.Still, he managed to smile at Starlight."Don't worry about Professor Trelawney, Professor Sinagtala."

"I'll try not to", Starlight nodded sheepishly as he began to walk away."Thanks."Turning on her heel, she sped to where the teachers' brooms were posthaste.She quickly grabbed her broom and would've run to the parapet they used for a launch pad if another broom hadn't caught her attention.

It was a beautiful broom: light, well crafted, and obviously not a commercially produced broomstick.How Starlight purred over that broom!Intricately carved white birch handle, very slender, the tail made with supple willow twigs bound with a silver band: lovely!The handle even had a pommel stone that took her breath away: it was a huge diamond, the type known in the wizarding world as a Pathsetter as it enabled the rider to find right way and automatically set its course should the driver dare to stray.

_Simple but elegant_, Starlight thought admiringly._Just the way Mom would like it._Just the way her sister Alapaap would've liked it, too, if…With a sad smile, she shook her head; _poor Alapaap…_

When she reached to touch the broom, a slight jolt of lightning kept her at arm's length._Ooh, an "owner's-touch-only" ward!_Her amber eyes sparkled delightedly, obviously impressed._Too classy!_

Whose broom it was, she had absolutely no idea.Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from it and hopped onto her own broom.Her broom also looked different from everyone else's: the slender handle was wrapped in a colorful cover woven with an intricate tribal design from the northern reaches of her homeland.Instead of twigs, the tail of the broom consisted was made of a bunch of dried grass stalks combed until it resembled a flared shock of blond hair.The tail was attached to the handle by an elaborate series of stitches in colorful yarn that matched the colors on the handle.It even had a protective sleeve in the _ikat_ fabric woven by the mountain tribes that lived near where she'd grown up.It was a pretty broom in its own fashion and even had a name: Lawin – eagle in its owner's native tongue.

She kicked off from the ground and was soon soaring through the autumn sky as she headed for Hogsmeade.Reaching into her pocket, she fished out the list of ingredients she'd jotted down the first thing that morning.

_All for brewing tomorrow, _she thought solemnly._Brewed, as directed, on the night of the full moon…_

"What happened to your sleeve?", Snape demanded, jumping in shock when Remus entered the staff room with a torn sleeve and an armload of books.

"I had a little run in with Professor Sinagtala", Remus replied simply, fishing for a tiny sewing kit from his pocket.He put the books on a nearby table and doffed his torn outer robe.He sat down in his armchair and began to stitch placidly.

_A run-in…_Snape looked aghast."What happened?", he cried, ready to take responsibility should any more damage be revealed.

"For Heaven's sake, Severus!"Remus looked at him in consternation."She was running away from Professor Trelawney and accidentally crashed into me while I was coming out of the library", he explained."It was an honest accident, nothing to worry about."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Snape sat down on his stiff, high-backed chair._For a moment there, I thought…_

__"Severus?"

"Eh, yes?"

"Would you know why she panicked when she saw Professor Trelawney?"

Snape's sallow face suddenly grew devoid of color and he looked profoundly sad.Hands clasped between his knees, he told Remus that it all happened when Starlight was in her sixth year at Hogwarts.At the time, the first of only two true predictions ever uttered by Sibyl Trelawney had been ominously intoned by the frowzy Divination professor in front of the girl, and it had concerned her – her and her twin sister.

"Starlight's a twin?", Remus exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, more like _was_ a twin", Severus murmured glumly."Alapaap Sinagtala died shortly before Christmas that year.Car accident.Very tragic."He looked out the nearby window where he could see the Slytherin team beginning Quidditch practice for the year."Starlight's been trying to live out both their lives since."

"Professor Trelawney predicted it?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Is that why Starlight hates her so much?"

"Partly.The other part of the prediction – the one concerning Starlight – has yet to come to pass."

"Do you know what it was?"

"No."

"I see…"

Remus was standing at the parapet when Starlight flew in, her broom laden with stuff she'd purchased at the Bizarre Bazaar in Hogsmeade.

"Nice broom", he commented as she lightly hopped off it."Baguio, I take it?"

Starlight managed a wan smile and nodded.She seemed to balk when Remus helped carry her numerous bags off the broom, but she held her tongue nevertheless.

"Professor Snape told me about what happened to your sister", he said quietly so as not to startle her further."I'm sorry."

"Don't be", she smiled."It's been almost eight years and I've been making hay out of her notes ever since."

"Her notes?"

"Yeah.My sister was a Squib, but the two of us were working on a landmark study funded by the International Institute for Thaumaturgical Studies when we were sixteen."She lowered her voice as they entered the crowded halls of the main school."It was about werewolves."

Remus nearly dropped the stuff he held at that.

"I, uh, see…"He looked very pale.

When Starlight looked at him, she frowned somewhat distastefully."I don't suppose Professor Snape told you about that threat I made when I was fourteen?", she winced.When he nodded, she silently swore in her native tongue at her former teacher's propensity for sowing panic.Then, "I've grown up a lot since then, Professor Lupin.I talked to young Harry Potter about you a few days ago and he's told me how nice you actually are."Her eyebrows furrowed."That's odd, considering that most of the subjects I've interviewed for the past few years were violent both as men and as wolves."The two of them ducked into an empty classroom to talk more seriously.When the door shut behind them, Starlight went on."Potter told me about how you were very young when a lycanthrope first bit you and how everyone close to you tried everything to make you normal.Maybe that's what killed the impulse to be violent while you're human: people actually cared about you, so …"

Remus sat down and turned away."What good can you do now?", he asked, fatigue putting a tart note in his voice."Severus says that the closest thing to a cure is the current formula for Wolfsbane Potion and it can only suppress the more violent symptoms.It can't even kill the pain of the Change itself."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be, it isn't…"

"Sorry if it's been pretty crude."Starlight was now pacing the room, briskly."Alapaap died before we could do the experiment on analgesic herbs", she said."Otherwise, it would've been incorporated into the formula currently in use."Remus couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he dared not interrupt."My other sister Marilag and I have continued the work and we're making progress."She noted the calendar by the corner and began to flip it over.She smiled at Remus and it was a hopeful one, not like these tight or bewildered smiles she normally cast in his direction."Keep your fingers crossed, Remus Lupin.If all goes well, you'll be a normal wizard before Christmas."

Remus was at a complete loss as to what to say.__

Hall 

  


[¶][4] _Yôko – nine-tailed fox demons found in Japanese mythology.It is said that they can be distractedfrom attacking with offerings of _inari-zushi_: deep-fried bean curd pockets stuffed with vinegared rice._

[][5] _Kôrime – sky-dwelling ice demons also found in Japanese mythology.Among these blue-countenanced, humanoid beings, the birth of twins is an ominous event as one twin will be a normal _kôrime_ but the other will mutate and be born a fire-powered imp of destruction.(If you're an anime fan – and a major Yoshihiro Togashi _otaku_ – you'd know what I'm talking about, _hai_?)___

[ç][6] _Aswangs – sometimes referred to as _manananggals._Intrinsic to the southern portion of the Philippines, notably the Visayas Islands, these body-splitting creatures are characterized by unkempt appearances, huge bat's wings , and grotesque fangs.Only the upper half of the body can protect itself, leaving the lower half vulnerable to countermeasures involving spices that can burn them or holy water taken from a Catholic church.(Lots of those where they're from.)In the daytime, aswangs manifest themselves as ordinary – even good-looking – people.However, _do_ keep an eye out for the lack of a furrow over the upper lip; it's a sure sign of an aswang._

   [1]: #_ftn1
   [2]: #_ftn2
   [3]: #_ftn3
   [4]: #_ftnref1
   [5]: #_ftnref2
   [6]: #_ftnref3



	4. Full Moon

Starlight and Moonlight 4

Starlight and Moonlight

_A _Harry Potter_ Fan Fiction Piece_

_By Megaella Ballanche-Viewlard_

_ _

Part Four: _Full Moon_

_ _

All of them viewed the waxing moon with increasing dread.

Harry sincerely doubted if he would ever get used to it.Not even Sirius who had seen it happen more times than he could count could sit still as the time drew near.

Remus was currently pacing back and forth his office in the teachers' corridor, adamantly refusing to go to his quarters in Gryffindor Tower.There was a stricken look on his pale face as the seconds ticked by.

He'd sent messages to the others via his owl Luna and had borrowed Harry's Hedwig and Ron's weeny owl Pigwidgeon (or Pig as the tiny bird's master called him) to send reminders.

Remus would not be staying in the Tower that night – he'd made that perfectly clear.As prefect, Hermione was tasked to bring all the Gryffindors into the Tower by exactly eight in the evening when the moon would be at its fullest.Under no circumstances was she to let her guard down unless someone fell ill and had to be taken to the hospital wing.Harry had opted to join Sirius at Remus's office that night and Ron had volunteered to stay watch at the door in case someone was foolhardy enough to look for the DADA professor tonight of all nights.

Professor Snape had sent a bottle of some pain-killer he'd managed to whip up on short notice and was civil enough to alert Madam Pomfrey to make up a bed in the hospital wing just in case.He wasn't the least bit civil with Sirius, though – after all, who could forgive someone who deliberately lures you into a werewolf's lair in the hope you'd end up getting eaten in revenge for something you said? He vocally hoped that the wolf Remus would become would have the Transfiguration professor for supper.Sirius would've picked a fight at that point if Remus hadn't chided him for his "bloody flaring temper".

To everyone's surprise, Professor Sinagtala volunteered to watch over the Gryffindors for the evening, citing no other motive but loyalty to the house she'd belonged to.Harry looked more than a little dubious at this when she stopped by Remus's office late that afternoon, but the slender DADA teacher had been cordial with his amber-eyed colleague and gave no trace of fear or foreboding whatsoever.Indeed, he was even grateful for her initiative.Sirius, on the other hand, was mourning over not being able to join Starlight in keeping watch over the Gryffindors.Harry had to kick his foster-father's shins under the table lest he started volunteering to stay at the Tower, leaving the petrified Harry to watch over Remus. 

The younger Gryffindors could not understand the sudden restriction to their movements after eight in the evening.The older students, however, could not eat much at the supper table, their hearts heavy.Before, they had taken Remus's monthly absences to mean the cold or some other common malady: nothing to worry about, really.But now that they knew the truth, they could not help but worry.

"Must be very painful", someone murmured at the table that night.

"Must be", someone agreed.

"Dangerous, too."Mumbled agreement followed that.

Those in the other three Houses ate heartily as young people expecting a Saturday evening filled with fun usually did.Much as they tried to cajole the Gryffindors into having fun, nothing could lighten their mood and the silence in their part of the Great Hall was rather pronounced.Starlight came to their table to join them in Remus's place, as it had become his habit to join his charges at their table instead of joining the other teachers.The smaller first-years barraged her with questions as to where their Head of House was.She replied to them in her rich voice, lowered this time to a soft, caressing, almost motherly whisper as she gathered the frightened ten and eleven-year-olds to her.

"He doesn't want any of you to get hurt, see?", she said after telling them that the Change was going to turn their kind-hearted Head into a bloodthirsty monster for the evening."But I promised him that I would take care of you while he's away."Gently, she thumbed off the tear that was rolling down the plump cheek of a little Gryffindor girl who had become rather attached to Remus."Don't worry about him; he'll be okay and will be back with you tomorrow."However, she was more than a little shirty with the older students who wondered aloud what it would be like to see a man turn into a wolf."Have a little more respect for your teacher", she scolded them, eyebrows furrowing dangerously."How would you feel if you were in his shoes?Would you like your friends to turn you into some kind of sideshow freak?"As they had never seen Starlight lose her temper in class – though she could get more than a little sarcastic when she felt that they weren't using their heads – her severe admonition silenced them."There will be no more talk of paying Professor Lupin a visit tonight", she said severely."After dinner, I want you all to head straight for the Tower – and no buts about it."

For Remus, the Change was an unmitigated horror every single time.

A few minutes before the moon came to its fullest, just as the pale light of the moon crept in through his office window, he would feel an awful itch creeping over every square inch of his skin.Slowly, the itch would give way to a sensation akin to a million pinpricks poking into his pale flesh.

It was during this part of the Change that he dared not look into a mirror as he knew only too well what he would see.Harry had, thank God, prudently excised the room of any mirrors several hours earlier.Remus, thus, didn't have to torture himself at seeing a ghastly being with hair growing everywhere and fangs growing sharper with each second.

Pain shot throughout his frail body in electrifying spasms.Remus had to grit his teeth and hug himself to bear the pain, toppling from his chair as he did and falling to his knees.It was as if he were a rag doll being pulled by two warring little girls.Some unseen being yanked at him from all directions, tearing him apart.Flesh, bone, and sinew seemed to tear within him; the pain was unbearable.He collapsed onto the floor, writhing in the throes of the Change.

Harry and Sirius could only watch him as it was beyond even their own unusual powers to help and their faces were stricken, made ashen by a pain that they could do nothing about.Sirius turned away, not wanting his foster-son to see his tears; he had seen this terrible transformation more times than he cared to count.Harry, on the other hand, stared in horrified fascination as his gentle godfather's body was wracked by convulsions.Terrified and speechless, the boy could only watch as Remus's fragile body transformed into the powerful, more muscular one of a huge gray wolf.

"No…"Remus struggled to keep the beast from unleashing himself."_No…_!"His one cry of pain dissolved into a soul-wrenching howl that shattered the silence of that moonlit night.Outside the room, Ron shivered at the thought of what was happening within.

"Now, Harry!", Sirius cried as the Change drew to its terrifying conclusion.

With one voice, they both shouted, "_Metamorphose!_"Their bodies melted into the forms they had chosen as Animagi.Where Sirius had stood was the giant black Newfoundland dog they called Padfoot while Harry pressed himself into that of Prongs, the majestic pronghorn stag his father had chosen to be so long ago.The two beasts moved forward to where the visibly trembling wolf lay, giving him whatever comfort they could give on that night of nights.

_So it was Starlight who created the Potion that deadened my taste for blood, _the wolf called Moony thought as he stared with unseeing tawny eyes into the fire._All those years studying werewolves – what had they been for?Surely she didn't badger for a grant just to find some way with which to kill me!_He sighed, lost in contemplation of those thoughts.

Back at Gryffindor Tower, the first-years fretted over being sent to bed earlier than usual on a Saturday night.

However, they obeyed without question along with those in the second and third year when they saw the grim look on Professor Sinagtala's face.

The older students could not sleep, nor did they have the heart to go after their usual Saturday night pursuits.They sat about in the common room, talking listlessly among themselves until the warm smell of melting butter made them turn their heads to the fireplace.

Starlight stood there, waving her wand over a cauldron and muttering something under breath.To everyone's amazement, the rattle of dried corn filled their ears as it cascaded into the cauldron seemingly from nowhere.There was a second cauldron, this time filled with mulled cider to draw away the chill of that bitter mid-autumn night.Their pretty teacher waved her wand over the floor and a wizard Monopoly set appeared on hearthrug, immediately grabbing their attention.

"I take it we're all in for a pretty rough night", Starlight smiled at them."In which case, we may as well make the most of it."They couldn't agree with her more.

While the others crowded around the game, Starlight moved for the door, beckoning Hermione to follow her.She handed the brown-haired girl a small sphere made of darkest obsidian, explaining to her that it was a Speak-Easy, a sort of communicator.

"If I need you to do something for me, you'll hear my voice through the Speak-Easy", Starlight informed Hermione.She tested the Speak-Easy she held in her own hand.With each word, what had been a black globe grew transparent and glowed ethereally.Hermione's eyes glittered with great interest as it did so and nodded her agreement."Very well, then.I'll be leaving you for a bit.I'll see you in about half an hour."

Professor Snape was waiting for her outside.He looked tense, rather drawn and shaky.

"Is everything ready?", Starlight asked him.He nodded mutely and the two of them made their way towards a wide, deserted balcony towards the very top of the school.There, Snape had set up two cauldrons, both of which hung from sturdy kettle irons over brightly burning fires.Each cauldron was set in the center of a magical circle inscribed on the floor with a flickering blue light.Two tables stood beside those cauldrons, each laden with an assortment of bottles, flasks, jars, and phials filled with some very exotic substances.There was also a fresh bunch of Wolfsbane cut from the Forbidden Forest, chopped up fine and ready to go into the pots.

Starlight's eyes flashed as she rolled up the sleeves of her robe, covering her clothes with an apron into which pocket she'd stuffed her wand.

"Let's get started", she declared to Snape who followed suit.

A battered spiral notebook – the sort used by Muggle schoolchildren – lay open on the table closest to Starlight.A number of notes had been scribbled to it in three sorts of penmanship: Starlight's own bold hand in green ink, the loopy script of her dead twin Alapaap in blue, and the nigh-on-indecipherable handwriting of her older sister Marilag in vivid red.She reread the text and judged the height to which the moon had risen in the sky.

"Yup", she muttered decisively."Perfect…"

Sonorously, she began chanting a strangely compelling incantation as she carefully measured spoonfuls and whole phials full into the bubbling cauldron before her.To her left, Snape was chanting simultaneously, reading the intricate spell from a scrap of parchment she'd handed to him earlier that week.Their arms wove intricate invisible patterns over their work, their movements tireless and ceaseless.

Their voices rose and fell as herbs and powders and various liquids made their way into those great pots of boiling water.Slowly, what had been clear several minutes before was a shimmering emerald green that deepened with the addition of the fresh-cut Wolfsbane.The brew bubbled and simmered, sending up faint wisps of aromatic steam into the crisp air of that autumn night.Finally, the two brewers cast the powdered wings of a kind of pixie that could only be found deep in the forests of Irian Jaya in Indonesia over the now violently boiling brew.Despite the fires burning brightly beneath them, the stuff in the cauldrons seemed to cool and changed color from vibrant green to palest blue.To Snape's fascination, the brew stopped bubbling as he and Starlight stopped chanting.

"Is it supposed to do that?", he asked in an awed voice.For all his years as both brewer and master of Potions, he had never seen anything like the one they'd just brewed.

Starlight nodded as she ladled a large beaker full of the pale blue liquid.Once done, she covered it with a large cork and set it upon a tray she'd brought along earlier.Doffing her apron, she rolled down her sleeves and made ready to carry the tray indoors.

"Why two batches?", Snape asked as they made their way inside the castle.

"Yours is a sort of back-up", Starlight explained."Just in case someone's brave – or _stupid_ – enough to sabotage my work, we'll have yours to fall back upon."Her face was both grave and determined as she made her way to the door.With a negligent-seeming flick of her wrist, she cast yet another ward over their workplace."I can't take any chances, see?", she said."Not after everything I've gone through just to get this far."Grimly, she muttered, "I can't trust myself to fail now."

Snape grinned and lightly slapped her arm."That's the _old_ Starlight!", he chortled."Always making sure she gets what she wants."

Starlight grimaced."Tell me about it."

She found Ron in the teachers' corridor, sitting next to the door of Professor Lupin's office.

The tall red-haired boy was playing a pretty noisy game of solitaire with some Exploding Snap cards when she came near.He scrambled to his feet upon seeing her.

"Oh, hi, Professor", he greeted her, scattering his cards in surprise.

"Weasley."She acknowledged him with a slight inclination of her head.She nodded towards the door."Who else is keeping watch tonight?"

"Sirius – I mean, Professor Black – is.Harry's in there, too."

Starlight's lips pursed into a thin line._Animagi_, she thought._Otherwise, Professor Lupin would either attack them if he _didn't_ take his Potion or shy away from them if he did._She considered the circumstances for a bit, then handed Ron the tray."Tell Potter or Professor Black to get Professor Lupin to drink this all at once the minute he changes back", she ordered him."If you need anything, you'd better tell me now; I'm heading back to the Tower."

Ron entered the room and reemerged a few minutes later looking like an anemic carrot, most probably shocked to the core by what he'd seen inside.

"Well?"

Ron began to enumerate what was needed on his fingers."Um, could you get someone to got to the kitchen and ask the elves to fix something?", he asked."Harry and Sirius are rather hungry, being too busy worrying to head for the Great Hall, no doubt.Oh, and they need blankets; Professor Lupin's clothes tore in the process and they don't want him to catch cold when he changes back."

Starlight whipped out her Speak-Easy and advised Hermione to send Dean to the kitchen and Seamus to where the bed linens were kept.She waited for them to appear before turning away back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Password", the Fat Lady yawned as she stopped before the portrait.

"Will o' the wisp", Starlight replied just as wearily.The evening's activities had all but drained her.

The painting swung forward to let her in and she found the older Gryffindors still awake, quietly chatting as they sipped cider and ate popcorn.She found Hermione half-dozing in an armchair, exhausted by her efforts in trying to get the younger ones to sleep.Gently, the golden-eyed professor shook her awake and told her to go up and get some sleep.Nodding gratefully, Hermione handed back the Speak-Easy she'd been loanedand stumbled off to her dormitory.

Seeing that the others were still restless, Starlight mumbled a short spell and conjured her guitar from thin air.She motioned for them to gather about her, all of them sitting on the floor.Starlight's fingers gracefully went over the strings, making a cascade of sound that rippled soothingly in the silence of the night.She captivated her audience with songs from her homeland sung in a smooth voice, sweet as finest honey, her repertoire consisting of harvest songs, love ballads filled with longing, and the strong chants of tribal hunters out stalking their prey.When she sang, her songs were filled with a sort of magic that seemed to carry her listeners to rice fields ready for the harvest or the balcony of some old-fashioned house where gallant young gentlemen down below serenaded the young ladies of the house.Before long, her tense audience relaxed and asked to be taught whatever it was she was singing, some even bold enough to borrow the guitar to strum their own favorites.

Before long, sleep claimed Starlight's audience as the hours crept into a new day.One by one, they fell asleep in the dying firelight; some on the floor with heads cushioned on arms of pillows dragged off the chairs, while others fell asleep in the chairs where they sat.Slumber claimed them all until Starlight alone remained, strumming softly and letting the music drive her own fears away.

It was toward dawn when Sirius and Harry, still in their Animagus forms, were awakened by a long, keening howl of pain.

The Change went into reverse as the first rays of sunlight slipped in through the window.Moony writhed on the floor, thrashing, nipping at himself in a desperate attempt to quell the pain.If Changing from man to wolf felt as though he were being stretched until he fell apart, Changing back from wolf to man meant feeling as if he were being pressed into a very small mold.

As the others watched, the large gray wolf contracted.Its fur began to fall off in great clumps upon the floor and its fangs shrank back.Finally, with one shuddering spasm shooting throughout its body, the wolf changed back to Remus Lupin.

"Quick: drink this!"Harry plucked the cork off the mouth of a beaker filled with blue liquid and handed it to Remus even as Sirius wrapped his friend in a pile of blankets that had been taken in the night before.

Dazed and wracked in pain, Remus couldn't focus: his hands shook violently and he kept seeing two – even three – of everything and everyone.Sirius propped him up with one arm behind his back and guided the beaker to his lips.As the potion made its way down his throat, Remus felt strength flowing back into his limbs and lucidity returning to his mind and vision.He sat up, unaided, and took the beaker from his friend to drain it.He gulped the contents down eagerly, feeling the stuff revive him.When he finished, he held the beaker out and studied it.

"Who brewed this?", he asked them.

"I didn't", a wide-eyed Sirius replied, staring at the empty beaker in surprise."Snape, I guess?"The two professors turned to Harry for a reply.

"It was Professor Sinagtala", Harry informed them."She gave it to Ron last night."He looked at Remus worriedly."How do you feel?"

"I feel fine", Remus assured him.

"Are you sure?I mean, you don't feel as though you were poisoned or…"

"_Poisoned_?"Sirius was positively horrified at the suggestion.The Transfiguration professor blanched and shot the others a bewildered look."Why would she want to…"

Remus held a hand to quell them both."We've talked", he informed them calmly."What she said was the sort of thing you'd expect an angry fourteen-year-old to say.That's all in the past now."Drawing the blanket around him tighter, he rose to his feet and headed for the door.The others stared at him in astonishment."Isn't it obvious that I'm all right?", he asked in passing.

They found Ron sleeping soundly by the door.Remus stooped down to shake him awake and helped him to his feet.He told the tall red-haired boy to go to Professor Sinagtala's office to thank her for the potion, whereupon Ron informed him that the teacher in question had stayed at Gryffindor Tower in his place.Along with Sirius and Harry who both looked bewildered at the strange turn of events, they headed back to the Tower and arrived just in time to see Starlight stumbling out of the portrait hole.

"Good morning", she greeted them.They stared at her admiringly as it was the first time they'd seen her blue-black hair flowing down her back, freed from the braids she normally wore.Her amber eyes were hooded still by fatigue, giving her pretty face an oddly secretive cast in the half-light of dawn streaming into the windows.

"Good morning", Remus replied, extending a hand to help her over the threshold.Gracefully, she dropped to the floor, landing on her feet; Remus found that strangely catlike.Even the way she stretched had an almost feline aspect to it.

"I see the potion worked, Professor Lupin."

"For that I have you to thank.A pain-killer, I suppose?"

"Not really", Starlight shook her head as she shuffled drowsily away from them."More like a first-phase specific.Its composition is similar to the original Wolfsbane Potion but the effects are obviously different."She yawned hugely."Now, if you gentlemen would please excuse me, I'd better go get some sleep."

"Didn't you sleep at all last night?", Sirius wondered aloud as she passed him.

There was an impish smirk on her face as she turned to jerk a thumb towards the Tower."Not with a bunch of very tense teenagers", she chuckled.Waving airily, she moseyed down the hall."I'll see you at breakfast, then."

Those left behind stared at her retreating back and then at each other.At once, they bolted up into the Tower.What they found elicited a cry of dismay from both Ron and Sirius: the older Gryffindors snoozing in the common room, a wizard Monopoly set ready for a game, an empty cauldron that had obviously held popcorn and another one still half-filled with cider.

"They…They partied."Sirius looked absolutely crestfallen."They had a party while we were away…"

"No…"Ron fell to his knees, tearing his red hair out in frustration at not having been where all the fun was._"No!!!_"

About a month later, just a couple of weeks before Halloween, Quidditch season began.

The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin hit fever pitch as the sworn enmity between their captains – Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy – came to a head.Both teams were working doubly hard to beat each other.Currently, the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup was still in the possession of Gryffindor House as there had been no match two years before due to the Triwizards' Tournament and things went absolutely haywire the previous year because of the last stand against Voldemort.Needless to say that Draco turned into a regular slave driver, wanting to wrest the cup from their rivals post-haste.Harry, on the other hand, was not one to rest on his laurels and drove his team with a similar ferocity.

Starlight's room overlooked the Quidditch arena and it sometimes became more than a little impossible for her to concentrate on what she usually did on weekends as there were screaming players going through their paces down below.Finally, she decided that a small weekly respite from her class work and the seemingly endless studies on lycanthropy wouldn't hurt her and often went down to the arena to watch and was reminded of her own days as Gryffindor's resident Quidditch heroine.

She usually just watched whenever the other Houses played but sometimes had a dark look on her face whenever she watched the Slytherin team.She may have thought the Sorting Hat had made a mistake in not putting her in that particular House, but her Quidditch loyalties strongly remained with Gryffindor.Needless to say that she sometimes lost her voice roaring at the young Gryffindors to play up and heed whatever advice she yelled their way.

Harry was half-tempted to compare her drive to that of their former captain Oliver Wood who usually drove them into the earth with his spirited nagging.Ron (who was now Keeper), however, had learned more about Starlight from his older brother Charlie, the second of Gryffindor's three finest seekers.(The other two were Harry's deceased father James and Harry himself.)Charlie wrote his brother that Starlight was the most spectacular Beater their House had ever had.She'd earned the nickname Tigress of Gryffindor because she bore down on both Bludgers and opponents the way a jungle cat stalks its prey.People feared her for her ferocity on the field, more so when she was captain of her House team for one year – the year after Charlie left – giving them their last and most spectacular victory before an eight-year-drought that only ended when Harry Potter joined the team.

One Sunday morning, Starlight chanced upon the Gryffindors practicing in the arena.Harry sped around as Seeker while Ron tended the goal posts.Seventh-years Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell and Ron's fifth-year sister Ginny were Chasers while Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan hovered around carrying Beaters' clubs.The young teacher's eyes glowed excitedly and she sped up the stands for a closer look.

Most of the time, Starlight was the only teacher watching though the flying teacher Madam Hooch sometimes stopped by for a few minutes to monitor everyone's progress.Today was different: Remus Lupin was there, placidly munching Chocolate Frogs from a large box on his lap with a jug of hot chocolate beside him.

"You're into Quidditch, too?"Starlight regarded him with an air of surprise as Professor Lupin seemed too ill most of the time to pay attention to any sports.

"Sort of", Remus nodded, making room for her next to him."I was on reserve for Seeker back when Sirius and I were kids, subbing for James Potter a few times.I never really saw that much action, but I _did_ play."He passed her the box."Chocolate Frog?"

"Milks or darks?", she asked him.

"Well, I prefer darks so that's what I have.Milks are good but I can't stand whites."He fished a Frog for himself and began nibbling."Darks do have more flavor, I think."

"In that case", Starlight gratefully plucked one out of the box, "we agree on that score."

They sat watching for an hour with Starlight spending the better part of it screaming herself hoarse at the two Beaters who seemed to keep getting knocked off their brooms by the whizzing Bludgers.Finally, angered by their seeming incompetence, she whipped her wand out of her robes and roared, "_Accio_, Lawin!"Her colorful broom sped out of the castle and into her hand.Mounting it, she growled to Dean and Seamus to get out of the way and let her show them how to smack a Bludger senseless.

She was fantastic.Her sharp eyes missed nothing and her reflexes quick.The players noticed that she moved swiftly and deliberately, not letting the Bludgers get anywhere near her as she smartly sent them flying off with a few well-aimed thwacks from her club.The impressed team chorused with oohs and ahs after her little demonstration, applauding along with Remus as she flew back to the stands.

"Great Beating techniques!", Remus praised her when she'd landed.He handed her a cup of hot chocolate, knowing that the combination of yelling and exertion must have left her throat parched.Starlight took it gratefully and drank deeply.

"Thanks", she managed to gasp as she handed the cup back.Her eyes narrowed speculatively at her companion."Okay", she told him."_You've_ seen me in action, so when do I see you in Seeker mode?"

"I knew you were going to ask that", Remus grinned.But, "I haven't played for so long so I'm not sure if I'm up to it."Defensively, he added that he was something of a speed freak whenever he was on a broom."It's my one vice", he admitted almost shyly."Flying at breakneck speeds." 

Starlight looked quite unconvinced by that last pronouncement uttered so sheepishly in Remus's very soft voice.The way Remus was dressed, one would think that he couldn't _afford_ a broom, let alone fly one!Apparently, the Change always seemed to take a dreadful toll on Remus's wardrobe and Starlight surmised that he couldn't afford a new one and had to make do with patching and darning whatever he had.Someone once told her that Remus fit the struggling young writer stereotype to a T and that his condition had always prevented him from getting a steady job, lycanthropes being shunned and feared by both wizarding folk and Muggles no matter how nice they were as people.In which case, her inference about why his wardrobe was so tattered was probably right.

"I take it you don't believe me."Remus looked at her with a slight pout on his face that made him look so much younger than he already did despite the gray scattered throughout his light brown hair and the fact that he was in his mid-30s.Starlight thought the pout made him look rather charming, even elfin because he was so thin.

"Not really", she giggled, her grin impish and teasing.

Any other guy would have just given up and walked off in disgust.What Remus did next, however, caught Starlight and everyone else on the field off-guard.He rose to his feet and, turning in the direction of the castle, whistled two sharp, shrill notes.Seemingly out of nowhere, a broomstick whizzed into view.Upon catching sight of it, Harry called a time-out and flew over to where the two teachers were.

Starlight scrambled to her feet when Remus caught the broom by its intricately carved handle.To the young witch's shock, it was the beautiful broom with the Pathsetter diamond on its handle and the silver-banded willow twig tail – the broom she had so admired in the teachers' broom closet!The other Gryffindor players came soaring in for a closer look and were rather impressed themselves.

"It's an Accelerato!"Dean was beside himself in awe."The _ultimate_ Seeker's broom!_Which Broomstick_ just put a story out about them last month!"

Everyone stared admiringly at that broom.Accelerati were Italian racing brooms and were, by wizarding standards, comparable to such Italian Muggle cars as Ferraris and Lamborghinis.The intricate design engraved on the handle was both decorative and aerodynamically useful and the glittering Pathsetter definitely came in handy.In truth, no two Accelerati were ever the same as they were only built on request and designed according to what the manufacturer declared fit for the potential rider.They were definitely beyond the league of even Firebolts and the Nimbus series and, as such, commanded quite a price. 

"Is it true that no one can ever steal them?", Dean asked excitedly.

"Yeah", came Starlight's rueful answer."Touch it and a ward will keep you at arm's length."

"_Wow…_"

"I wonder how _you_ figured that out, Professor Sinagtala", Remus dimpled impishly.Starlight did not reply, but the mutinous look on her reddened face spoke volumes.

At any rate, Remus turned to the Gryffindors and commanded them into the air.He also talked the Ravenclaws who had just arrived to come engage the team for a practice match.Cho Chang, captain and Seeker of Ravenclaw, grinned and nodded.Her eyes widened in alarm when she saw the broom in the teacher's hand.

"Uh, Professor?"Her voice suddenly went timid."Isn't _that_ an Accelerato?"

"It is."

Cho gulped and rolled her eyes heavenward, thinking that it just wasn't her day.The broomstick she would be riding on was still her old Comet Two-Sixty.Nevertheless, both Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were soon airborne in simulated play. 

"Please sit this one out and keep Professor Sinagtala company, Harry", Remus asked his mischievously grinning godson.

"Okay", Harry replied as the broom hovered to mounting height.Remus lightly hopped on and swiftly darted into the fray over the field.

"Does he know what he's doing?"Starlight looked more than a little pale as she and Harry sat down.

"Who?Remus?"Harry laughed as though he'd never heard a more ridiculous question."He does, Professor.He may not look it, but he's terribly good.We spent a good part of the summer working on my technique; he teaches Quidditch almost as well as he teaches DADA."Wistfully, he added that he'd been allowed a go on the Accelerato the previous summer."Sirius said he couldn't get me one because he was too busy", Harry sighed longingly."Told me I ought to be happy with the Firebolt he got me a few years ago.But Remus promised to take me to Florence to buy my own Accelerato – _if_ I get good enough marks this year, said my real dad would've wanted to get me one."

In silence, Starlight studied the rapt, eager face of the boy who sat next to her._One would almost think that he were watching his own father in action_, she thought.That was sad; werewolves could have children but feared rearing them lest they themselves brought them to harm.It wasn't just Harry, either: the younger Gryffindors had come scrambling up the stands to watch and they were happy to see their Head of House play._Not surprising as Professor Lupin's been like a father to them_.

Quick as a wink, the thin DADA teacher flew through the chaotic melee of Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, Keepers, and Quaffle.The way he wove through the frenzy was masterful, showing all how good he probably was even if he had only been on reserve.Slowly, he rose to a height of about eighty feet over the field to get a better view.

Then, he saw it: the Golden Snitch.

Cho, who had been flying around in circles at a more moderate height, had seen it as well.She sped for it but was completely taken aback by what happened next.

Before anyone could react, Remus lightly touched the Pathsetter and leaned forward on the broom, grabbing the handle tighter.The Accelerato gave a shocking lurch and shot upward, several feet higher than its current position.Then, to the horror and amazement of all watching, the broom went absolutely _vertical_ as its rider charged down mercilessly upon the fleeing Snitch.

Cho screamed as she flew out of the way.She was shaken, but nevertheless stared as Remus came shooting down like a bullet from a height of a hundred feet._Now _that_'s something you don't usually see!_, the seventh-year thought, thunderstruck.

"Remus!"Several teachers came scurrying from several directions, in the hope of breaking his fall in case anything went wrong.Snape was ashen but Sirius just cheered his friend along as if it was a standard part of play.

Starlight panicked._He'll break his neck!_, she thought worriedly, springing onto her own broom.She flew in haphazardly, soaring to his direction.

Remus plummeted down until about a couple of feet off the ground where he caught the Snitch, tapping the Pathsetter to set his broom to the normal horizontal position and flew over the field at a more moderate speed.The crowd heartily roared its approval.

The players from both the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams flew towards Remus but he was off again: something had caught his eye.He'd released the Snitch and hurtled towards a body falling out of the sky.

Starlight was so relieved to see the catch that she meant to speed on down to give Professor Lupin a piece of her mind.Unfortunately, she gave Lawin too sharp a tap that activated its defense mechanism: the Bucking-Broom Hex.The broom suddenly accelerated, trying to shake off its rider.With a frightened shriek, the golden-eyed witch hung on for dear life as her broom spiraled heavenward in increasingly erratic circles in a frenzied attempt to buck her off.She desperately tried to hang on, but the handle finally slipped out of her hands as the broom flew into the direction of the Forbidden Forest.Starlight found herself screaming, hurtling defenseless to the ground.

Something whizzed close to her and a thin but strong pair of arms caught her.

"Are you all right?", Remus asked her."Don't worry; I've got you, now."

Trembling in every nerve with her heart pounding like crazy, Starlight managed a feeble word of thanks and passed out.

She regained consciousness in the stands with Madam Pomfrey in attendance, the old school nurse clucking her tongue at her with grim disapproval.

Down below, the jubilant Gryffindors had surrounded their Head of House, the older ones asking for tips and pointers for the game while the younger ones tagged about him, eagerly tugging his frayed sleeves as they all went back indoors.The second Madam Pomfrey's back was turned, Starlight chased after them.

She caught up with the Gryffindors near the Great Hall.The little Gryffindor first-year who had grown fond of their Head of House was in his arms as they went in for lunch.The little girl had a trusting look on her tiny face as she hugged Remus.It was a sight that tugged at Starlight for some odd reason she didn't care to think about.

"Hello, Wendy", she greeted the child in Remus's arms.

"Hi, Professor!", the little one replied cheerfully.For eleven, she was really very small.

"How are you feeling?", Remus asked her concernedly.

"A bit shaky", Starlight admitted."But I'll be fine._That_ was _some_ catch!"

"Thanks", Remus replied modestly as he set little Wendy on the floor."Run along with the others, Wendy", he said, prodding her towards the rest of her class.Nodding, she scampered off."Lovable, isn't she?"

"Yes."_He'd probably make a good father if only…_She shook her head sadly; but there was hope, after all._A few more months with the potion and…_She decided to keep mum about _that_.Instead, she meant to ask him about the Accelerato and was opening her mouth to speak when Professor Snape came striding up, scrap of parchment in hand.He looked as though he'd been run through a meat grinder."You look terrible", Starlight commented as soon as he came into earshot.

"Thanks", Snape grunted sarcastically."You look worse.Whatever possessed you to activate the Hurling Hex on your broom?"Starlight would've spat out an acerbic counter-comment to that if she hadn't realized how haggard Snape was just then.Something was wrong.There was a stricken air about him as he handed Remus the parchment."You'd better read this, Remus", he said."I've already sent Black up to the Headmistress to advise her."

Remus blanched when he read what was written on the parchment.He handed it back to Severus; Starlight noted that his hand – the same hand that had so confidently swiped the Snitch out of the air – was shaking.

"It was from Minister Dumbledore", he told the bewildered Starlight."He wants us to go to Basingstoke Hall immediately."He gently put a hand on her shoulder."He's asked if you could come with us."

Basingstoke Hall…It had been the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix during the Final Stand._What's going on?_Starlight's thoughts whirled about her mind like a blur; things were happening so fast._What's happening?_

"I'll get Harry, Ron, and Hermione", Remus was now telling Snape."Take Starlight and head for my study in Gryffindor Tower; we'll Floo Powder from there."

Snape nodded and led Starlight out of the Great Hall.Outside, she asked him what was up and was stricken to see a look of fear – _fear_, of all things! – on his sallow face.

"You know Peter Pettigrew, don't you?", Snape asked her.

"Voldemort's prop and mainstay?Of course; wasn't he sent to Azkaban?"At the mention of Azkaban, Snape's face went bleak."Why?Is he dead?"

"I wish to heaven he were", Snape muttered ominously as they neared the Fat Lady's portrait, "because it's worse: he's _escaped._"

** **

** **


	5. Truth

Starlight and Moonlight

Starlight and Moonlight

_A _Harry Potter _Fan Fiction Piece _

_By Megaella Ballanche-Viewlard___

_ _

_Part Five: _Truth

Snape's sallow countenance was grave, even peaked.

Starlight was stunned by the news and could not speak for a few moments.

"Escaped…"The implications were dire, indeed."How did _that_ happen?" she demanded."I thought they beefed up security at Azkaban when they threw in the surviving Death Eaters!"

"That's the same thing we said about their security when Sirius Black was thrown in years ago." Snape's thin lips twisted with grim disapproval, a nervous hand running through his greasy hair."Maximum security with all possible precautions in place – and someone _still_ managed to escape!"

"But Black turned out to be innocent," Starlight reminded him."Not even the Dementors could suck that thought from his mind.This is different: Pettigrew was Voldemort's right-hand man – a traitor considering what he did to the Potters!"

"He must've figured out that Dementors can only sense the presence of humans – _not_ of animals."Sirius was striding up to them with a frown on his normally jovial face."That's how _I_ got out of Azkaban; I used my Animagus form."

"It took you twelve years to figure that one out," Snape snorted derisively."Pettigrew's only been there for less than a year but he's also managed to escape."He raised an eyebrow at Sirius."Wouldn't that be an indication that someone appears to be more talented than someone else?"

Sirius threw him a look of sheer dislike."He had a precedent, Snape," he growled."_I _didn't."

"Don't you gentlemen think that this is the _wrong_ time to start squabbling?"Starlight looked piqued at the petty way her older colleagues were snapping at each other.Abashed, the two backed off from each other, looking like two guilty schoolboys at her words."Quarrel during your own time, gentlemen.We have work to do!"

Starlight looked thoughtful as she paced the floor between the Fat Lady's portrait and the opposite wall of the corridor.

"I've seen pictures of Pettigrew," she murmured."Rather tubby, isn't he?"

"Chubby is more like it," Sirius snorted derisively.

"Flabby," Snape corrected him, eyes glinting maliciously.

"In which case, that would _definitely_ rule out squeezing through the bars, wouldn't it?" Starlight's own golden eyes had come alight as her curiosity came afire.Sirius personally thought she looked like a cat on the prowl."Would either of you know what form he uses as an Animagus?"

"A rat," both her colleagues replied.Starlight turned her head sharply at hearing that.

"Yeah, he was a rat, all right."Sirius cracked his knuckles noisily as he thought of wringing his former friend's neck."Both in his personality and as an Animagus.That's why we called him Wormtail when we were kids: he was a worm-tailed little rodent."

"You're obviously too young to know the story," Snape murmured to his former student.

"Not really," the younger witch corrected him."Professor Binns discussed the Potter Matter with us in seventh year.Of course, at the time, he said that Professor Black killed Pettigrew along with a dozen Muggle bystanders."Sirius winced when she said that."In light of what's happened recently, Professor Snape, would you be so kind as to give me a follow-up?"

"Certainly," Snape agreed."It turned out that Pettigrew faked his own death even as he killed those Muggles, cut off a finger before he transformed, then scrambled down the gutter to escape."

"Spent twelve years as the Weasleys' pet rat before we finally caught up with him."Sirius nodded as he remembered those fateful events of three years past."You can imagine how put-out Ron was with him when he found out that his worthless pet was a similarly worthless traitor."

"While _you_ moldered in Azkaban."Starlight nodded."I see…"

Now she understood why Dumbledore had asked her to come with the heroes of the Order of the Phoenix.Cats _did_ chase rats, after all.But she frowned; she had not hunted since Alapaap died, when she and Marilag…She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the terrible memory of those dark days after their sister's accident.

***

_Must hunt them down…_

_No forgiveness…_

_Their fault why we lost her…_

_Must hunt…_

_Blood…_

_Wash away blood with blood…_

__Her mother had told her that the thrill of the hunt would always be in her veins no matter how she tried to suppress it.It was the manner of their kind, always was and always would be.Their kind never killed unless it was for a cause.

She could hear her mother's strong but gentle voice ringing through her mind: _It is why we became such._That_ is why we hunt – to set what is wrong to right._

_ _

_***_

__

"Are we waiting for anyone else?" she asked her colleagues as she reopened her eyes.

"Remus and the kids," Sirius replied.His face was bleak and his demeanor grim."Moony has a _quite_ a bone to pick with ol' Wormtail."

"Moony?Isn't that Professor Lupin's pen name?"

"Yeah, it's what we called him when we were kids."

"Because he's a werewolf, quite obviously."

"Yeah.Pettigrew's Wormtail, they called me Padfoot because I was this huge black dog…"

Starlight's eyes twinkled mischievously."Aren't you still a big black dog?" she asked mirthfully; Snape was chortling behind her.

"…and James Potter was Prongs."He paid no attention to the others' laughter.In his mind's eye, he could still see those four mischievous lads prowling the school corridors late at night for a bit of fun."Remus and I are the only ones left now," he said sadly."James is dead and Pettigrew's the most treacherous git ever to tread this earth."

Presently, Remus arrived with the three youngsters in tow.Harry looked worried while Hermione looked bewildered at the sudden summons.Ron, however, looked more than a little peeved.It was obviously because he and the others would be missing what appeared to be a very good Sunday lunch.

"I see we're all here," Remus noted as they came down the corridor.He looked up at the Fat Lady."Hello."

The Fat Lady grinned at him."Ah, we have guests!" she exclaimed."Password?"

"_Neko-onna_."

The portrait swung forward and Remus motioned to Hermione and Starlight to go ahead.

"Ladies first," he said chivalrously.

Hermione climbed in first with some help from Ron.Starlight held back to throw a look of consternation at Remus.

"_Neko-onna_?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

Remus winked at her conspiratorially as he helped her up."I'll explain later," he whispered."Tell Hermione to escort you up to my study once you're in."

***

The Head of Gryffindor Tower lived up on the topmost floor of the Tower's boys' wing.

At first, Starlight was expecting to see rooms similar to Remus's sparsely furnished office in the teachers' corridor: a desk, two plain chairs, a few books on one shelf, and a clutter of cages and tanks holding all manner of fantastic creatures for the DADA classes on another.However, the memory of the Accelerato was still fresh in her mind.Starlight, thus, braced herself for what she would encounter in Remus's study.

The Gryffindor Head's study and sitting room turned out to be a warm, cozy place reminiscent of an old-fashioned gentleman's study, the sort usually seen in both Muggle and wizard decorators' magazines.In one corner of the front room was a beautiful antique desk with a well-cushioned chair to match. A soft Persian carpet cushioned the floor while tall, glass-fronted bookcases lined the walls.These cases held volumes on DADA, herbology, charms, hexes, both rudimentary and complex spells in different languages.There were even lexicons on fantastic beasts and magical beings as well as a number of classic books penned by both Muggle and wizard authors.One case apparently held a number of artifacts from Remus's numerous trips abroad.(Starlight noted the presence of a red handkerchief embroidered with animistic symbols in yellow thread.It was a sort of ward against evil forces used in her home country.)

There was a large, comfortable looking sofa flanked by two matching armchairs before the fireplace.The table in front of the sofa held a number of magazines (mostly _Transfiguration Today, _the _British Journal on Defense against the Dark Arts_, and _Today's Wizard_) stacked neatly beside a crystal dish (_Venetian!_ Starlight noted with some surprise.) filled to the brim with exquisite dark chocolate kisses.The door to the bedroom was ajar and Starlight could see a simple but stylish room with a comfortable-looking four-poster bed.

"What a lovely room!" Starlight exclaimed as she looked around.

Hermione smiled."You should see Professor Lupin's home in London, Professor," she said."It's just like this."Glumly, she added that it was a pity that Sirius's assorted pranks came so close to blowing up the house the previous summer."We keep telling Professor Black to move out but Professor Lupin says he doesn't mind."She laughed merrily as she remembered the taffy incident."Personally, it's more like Remus is Harry's dad and Sirius is the silly bachelor uncle who's always got tricks up his sleeve." 

"Professor Black and young Potter live with Professor Lupin?"Starlight looked scandalized.

"Oh, it isn't what you think!" Hermione was quick to correct her, still grinning."In fact, everyone keeps telling Remus to go find a wife.Harry usually teases him that it would be the closest thing to having a mum again."

"Well, he _does_ strike me as the marrying kind," Starlight agreed ruefully.She turned away so the girl wouldn't see her blushing.She berated herself for blushing._Oh, _quit_, Amihan Sinagtala!This won't do at all!_

She focused her attention on the photographs over the mantelpiece.Some were of Remus and his friends when they were much younger, about the same age as Harry and his friends give or take a few years.Shy and sweet-faced Remus, bold and dashing Sirius, James who was – save for the eyes – a carbon copy of his only son right down to the unruly hair, and little Peter Pettigrew cowering behind the three of them.There was even a copy of the Potters' wedding photo and Starlight could see where Harry got his brilliant green eyes: his beautiful mother, Lily.

Some pictures were of Remus on his travels as Romulus Moony, author of many a book on DADA and Cultural Magic.However, there were a number of photographs that featured Remus sitting or standing together with a handsome older couple.The couple was dressed in simple but elegant robes in velvet and satin.Some of these pictures were quite recent and Starlight couldn't understand why her colleague wore such shabby robes in the presence of such elegant folk – and they didn't seem to care!In fact, they were even hugging him in some of the shots!Then, when she came forward for a closer look, she noted that the man appeared to be a more robust version of the thin professor down to the mousy hair and the willowy, dark-haired beauty seemed to be the one from whom Remus had inherited his slender build, amethyst eyes, and gentle smile.

_His family!_Starlight's eyes widened in shock as she finally made the connection._But, why…How…_

Meanwhile, voices were approaching the door.

"Why do you even bother to live up here when you can live someplace closer to the ground?" Sirius was gasping.

"Because I like it up here?" Remus chuckled as he opened the door.He jerked a thumb at Sirius who had leaned against the doorframe, gasping for breath."He's obviously out of shape."

"Probably been sipping too much ale or butterbeer, too", Snape snickered as he entered the room.

"Not to mention that he scarfs down _lots _of chicken sandwiches,…" Harry chimed in

"With mayonnaise," Ron chortled."_Lots_ of mayonnaise!"

"…pork chops, steak and kidney pudding, Cornish pasties,…"

"Whose side are you on?" Sirius shot at his foster-son with an injured air.Defensively, he added that he was making up for twelve years in Azkaban."You'd pig out, too, if you spent twelve years being fed crusts and gruel by Dementors!"

They all laughed as Remus waved them all to the sofa and armchairs while he went over to the display case where he kept his artifacts.

"Help yourselves to candy whilst I prepare the fireplace," he invited them as he took out a large jar of Floo Powder from the case."I'd offer tea and scones, but we're expected at Basingstoke for lunch."

"Oh, thank you!"Sirius dove for a handful from the dish on the coffee table and began scarfing the kisses down even as Snape gave him a look of disgust.Starlight, on the other hand, politely murmured her thanks to their host as she opted for just one.She nibbled demurely at it, relishing the smooth, bittersweet flavor of the chocolate kiss.Their host obviously had excellent taste, shabby robes notwithstanding.

"_Incendio!_"Remus pointed his wand at the fireplace.At once, it burst into flames."Sirius, have you relayed the Minister's message to the Headmistress?"

"I did," Sirius replied around a mouthful of candy."But she can't go with us.The new Deputy Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy is arriving in a bit with the students for the exchange program."

Remus frowned."I just wish there was some way to let Headmistress McGonagall hear what the Minster has to say first-hand," he sighed.He turned to the others."Owls could get intercepted and I don't think it would do if she heard it from us, either.This concerns the security of the school and that's not something anyone should take lightly."

Starlight drew one of her Speak-Easies from her pocket."Would this help?" she asked him.

"That's a Speak-Easy!"Sirius looked impressed."Those things are rare!"

"Not where I'm from," Starlight smiled."Owls are rare in the Philippines, so my people needed a different manner of communicating with those of our kind."She held up her Speak-Easy admiringly."It's a good thing there's a lot of obsidian found in the Visayas."

"Good thinking, Professor Sinagtala!" Remus heartily applauded her suggestion.

"Thank you, Professor Lupin."She gave Hermione the Speak-Easy."I daresay you still remember how we use this, don't you?"The girl nodded."Good.Take it to the Headmistress and explain the procedure to her.This way, she'll be able to hear the Minister's words even if she can't come with us."

Hermione nodded and went off with Ron escorting her.

When they had gone, Starlight noticed that there was a large sheet of blank parchment hanging over the fireplace.She would have asked why something blank could have pride of place over what was obviously a display area but Harry had spoken up.

"Have you checked the Map, Uncle Moony?" he asked Remus.

"Not yet," Remus shook his head."But we can take a look."

"We'd better."Snape folded his hands at his chest."No good in not being careful, you know."

"True."Lightly, Remus gave the framed parchment a light tap with his wand."_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_," he intoned.

To Starlight's amazement, words in a beautiful green script blossomed over the parchment:

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,_

_Purveyors of Aids for Magical Mischief-makers,_

_Are Proud to Present:_

The Marauders' Map

The words disappeared and, in their place, a fine tracery of lines began to flow. The lines wove into each other, forming what appeared to be rooms or enclosures.Starlight was stunned when the lines stopped moving: it was a map of Hogwarts.Wanting a closer look, she came to stand beside Remus.The Great Hall was speckled over with numerous ink figures of both students and teachers.They were also able to track Hermione and Ron as they made their way to the Headmistress at the High Table.In the Gryffindor area, Starlight noted that all of them were also represented by labeled ink figures.

_Amazing! _she thought, awed by the map._That's the most powerful example of a Charting Spell or Plotting Charm I've ever seen!_

__Remus studied the map carefully, hoping that he wouldn't see the name _Peter Pettigrew_ among those scattered about the school.Thankfully, he wasn't there.Satisfied, he gave the map a second tap with his wand.

"_Mischief managed_!" he declared.The map disappeared and the parchment was as blank as it had been earlier."He isn't here."

"_Yet_," Sirius muttered darkly."He'll be along, soon.I'm sure of it."

"We'd better get going, then."Remus opened the jar of Floo Powder he held and offered it to the others."Who wants to go first?"

"I do."Snape rose and came forward, taking a generous pinch from the jar and casting it into the fire.He slid Sirius a grim glance."Black isn't exactly my choice of a traveling companion, after all."

"Take care that the fire doesn't fry your hair in the process, Snape", Sirius grinned nastily at his nemesis.

"Do we _really_ have to take your friend along, Remus?" Snape gritted his teeth in annoyance. 

Remus managed to smile."Ah, we _might_ need him later on, Severus."

"Pity traveling by Floo Powder never seems to toast him to a cinder!"

"Well, he's a lucky dog if there ever was one, Severus."

When Snape had gone, Remus motioned for Sirius to follow.

"Coming, Professor Sinagtala?" the dark-haired Transfiguration asked her.

"You go ahead, Professor Black."Starlight slid Remus a meaningful glance."There's something I want to ask Professor Lupin before we leave."

"Oh."Sirius looked disappointed at that.Crestfallen, he took a pinch of Floo Powder and tossed it in.When the flames had risen, he jumped in."Basingstoke Hall!"

"I'll wait for Ron and Hermione outside," Harry told Remus."The three of us will catch up."Remus nodded and Harry murmured a short goodbye to Starlight as he made his way out.The boy obviously figured out that what Starlight needed to ask his godfather was something between the two of them – and no one else.

"Just like him," Remus murmured as the door closed behind Harry.He turned and noted that Starlight had an odd expression in her eyes."It's about the Accelerato, isn't it?" he asked.

"That and…"She made a sweeping gesture with one hand to indicate the room."That and all this," she said."None of it seems to fit in with those tattered robes you wear or the fact that you can never seem to hold down a steady job because of what you are."She looked bewildered as she spoke, as if she'd walked into a room expecting to see one thing but seeing something else instead."And werewolves are supposed to be violent both as men and as wolves.But _you_ aren't.That really drives me up the wall because I've spent the better part of my life studying werewolves only to have my findings thrown off course because of you!"

"It galls you, doesn't it?"Remus looked sad as the two of them sat down on the couch.

"Not really."Starlight shook her head to disagree."It's just that you don't seem to fit into whatever preconceived notions I've had about you."

"Such as?"

"I thought you'd be a stereotypical werewolf.You know the sort: surly and bitter and downright nasty even in human form.It was an idea that formed from what Professor Snape used to tell me about you and your friends.I'm glad to see that everything he told me was so wrong."Slowly, a faint smile began to flicker over her pretty face."And you know what else?I'm happy you aren't what I figured you to be."

"Thanks."He turned away with a sad expression on his thin face."Actually, my parents live in Basingstoke Hall; _they_'re Lord and Lady Basingstoke.Mum and Dad have done everything to find a cure for me since they've always thought it was their fault I was bitten by a werewolf when I was so small."

"Was it?"

"I don't think so and I've never thought so," Remus shrugged.His face looked haunted as he spoke."It was an accident, you see.I was about five, then, and we were at a family reunion in Dover.My cousins and I were having fun in the forest on my grandparents' estate but the fun was cut short when the news broke out that a werewolf had eluded capture.

"Playful little rascals that we were, my cousins and I all sneaked out of the manor late that night.None of us were old enough to understand how dangerous a full moon could be at the time, so we were completely caught off guard when the werewolf came snapping at our heels.My cousins were all older than me and ran much faster than I did.It was just my luck that I would trip over the root of some tree and get caught."His eyes squeezed shut at the memory of that tiny child cowering in the woods, completely at the mercy of the beast that lurked there."Dad managed to shoot the wolf, but I'd been bitten so the damage was done."

Starlight's lips pursed shut even as she covered Remus's trembling hands with hers.

"All hell seemed to break loose after that," Remus went on, his voice strained."Mum and Dad couldn't forgive themselves for not having watched over me that night. After that, every month was one trial after another and I'm amazed that they never gave up on me.They spared no expense towards finding a cure."He looked at Starlight with a wan little smile."In truth, the grant the International Institute of Thaumaturgy gave you and your sisters for the werewolf research was given by my family.

"Anyway, as much as possible, my parents tried to hold out for a normal life for me.You can just imagine how grateful they were when Minister Dumbledore accepted me at Hogwarts.But after that, I wanted to hold down a steady job like everyone else even if I didn't really have to work."His violet eyes glittered with pain."I just wanted a normal life like everyone else."

"And the torn clothes?"

"Oh, _that_?Well, what's the point of buying new ones if the Change will just get them torn?"He shrugged rather ironically."I just donated whatever money I had for clothes to St. Mungo's Lycanthropy Ward in the hope that they could help find a cure."

"I see…" Starlight nodded; everything was clear to her now."I understand now.You just wanted to be like everyone else."

"You got _that _right."Remus leaned forward to look into her face."Hmm…Your pupils are round again.They were slits when we were outside in the sunshine."

"Is _that_ what gave me away, Professor Lupin?"

"Remus please."He smiled shyly at her, his pale cheeks lightly tinged with pink.Starlight thought he looked so young."That and the fact that you land on your feet without tottering every time you jump down the last two steps of every staircase I've seen you descend from."He cocked his head to one side."Is it so difficult to be one?I mean, is it as hard as being a werewolf?"

"No, it's a completely different thing."

"Does it hurt when you change from one form to another?"

"No.It's sort of hard to explain but it doesn't hurt.It's like my body becomes liquid when I'm changing between cat and woman; I just flow into the other form."Starlight rested her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in her palms."When you're _neko-onna_, you change only when you want to – or need to – change."She stared unseeingly into the flickering fireplace, lost in thought."You can be as tame as a housecat or as wild as a tiger depending on the circumstances.But you can't attack people without a reason; if you attack someone just for the heck of it, your own body will rebel.Your body will be wracked with pain for a very long time and you'll look awful."

"What do you mean?"

"The transformation won't be complete.You'll end up being half human and half cat."She shuddered visibly at that."You really wouldn't want to see a _neko-onna_ in _that_ state."

"Has that ever happened to you?"

She shook her head."Never to me," she said."But it happened to my cousins.They can be such bullies, those cousins of mine.The whole lot got bedridden for weeks when they tried to scare the Muggles in their hometown just for kicks."

"But…"Remus chose his words carefully.His next question would be a terribly personal one for her."You haven't gone and attacked anybody, have you?"

At that, Starlight burst into tears.Remus gently pulled her close to him, letting her bury her face into his shoulder.

"It was after my sister died," she sobbed, eight years of anguish finally released after being bottled up for so long."It turned out that she'd fallen asleep in the back, probably drank too much.The car skidded as the road was so icy.All her friends bailed out; none of them thought of waking her or pulling her out.So, when the car plunged down that cliff, she was the only one inside – and she was the only one who died."

"So you hunted down the friends who left her in the car?"

"Yes."

"And you killed them all?"

"Yes._Ate_ Marilag helped me.We tracked them down during the summer hols, gave chase to each and every last one of them."Her breath came in gasps as she remembered that terrible summer night when she and Marilag exacted their revenge."We didn't have to maul them, you know; even a single bite of a _neko-onna_ is enough to kill a human being.But we were angry: it was their fault our sister died and their fault our parents' hearts were broken.We tore them to shreds…"She wailed at that last part and Remus held her closer."I can still hear them screaming.All of them!"

The room was silent for a moment save for Starlight's sobs.Though he had never killed or hurt anyone while in the lycanthropic state, Remus sympathized with the anguish she must have felt all through these years.

"Oh, dear."Starlight drew away from him, abashed that she'd left his left shoulder rather wet.She took her wand out of her sleeve and pointed it at the damp portion."_Secca_!" she declared.At once, the robe dried up.

"What a strange wand!" Remus marveled.Starlight's wand was made of a type of wood known in the Philippines as _balete_.The tree from whence it was taken had magical properties and was home to a number of strange beings intrinsic to that part of the world.It was cunningly carved with what appeared to be the mountain goddess Maria Makiling, deity of the wizarding folk who lived inthe southern provinces of Luzon Island, in her mountain home.Starlight smiled and let him study it."It's from Salamanquero, isn't it?"Mr. Salamanquero of Malate was to Filipino sorcerers what Mr. Ollivander of Diagon Alley was to British wizards."I don't recognize the core, though."

"_Neko-onna _hair," Starlight dimpled."Our wands are different as tradition on my mother's side of the family dictated that our wands should be made on the day we were born.They plucked a hair off me the minute I came out of my mother's womb and it became the core of the wand I've been using ever since."

"Really?"Remus was impressed."Then that means you're the only one who can use it!"

"Yes.Amazing, isn't it?"

"Definitely!"Gently, Remus dabbed at her face with the handkerchief he carried in his sleeve."I hope you feel better now."

"I do."Starlight smiled at him."Thanks."

They got up to leave, but Remus had two more questions for Starlight.

"Say, why _did_ you start studying werewolves?" he asked her.

"Oh, _that_?"Starlight looked thoughtful as she turned his way."It's what the Nekomi – my mother's family – have been doing for more than a century.

"Family legend has it that my Japanese great-great-grandfather became a werewolf and his wife did everything she could to find a cure."She sighed."He was a lucky man he married a _neko-onna_; we're the only humans immune to the bites of werewolves or vampires.It's probably because we're more deadly.

"Anyway, the sad part was that their neighbors killed him one night while he was a wolf.We've been trying to find a cure ever since.As a result, their children all moved away from Japan to look for it.One of their sons moved to the Philippines, married a local witch and settled down.The men of our family obviously can't be _neko-onna_, but they've always been what Muggles would call genetic carriers: _their_ daughters would be _neko-onna_ as well."

"I'd say your great-great-grandparents would probably be very proud of you.You're doing quite a good job, Amihan."Remus froze when he saw the stunned look on her face."Oh, I'm sorry!I didn't mean to…"

"No one outside my family's called me that in ages," she beamed, obviously delighted.

"I can't see why," Remus shrugged."I think it's a pretty name.It means _gentle breeze_, right?"

"Yes and it sure doesn't fit _me_!"

"Starlight sounds so cold to me.So…"He gulped, feeling like a schoolboy."Is it all right for me to call you by your real name?"

The trusting way with which she linked her arm through his was enough of an answer for him.

"Shall we go?" she asked him.

"Why not?"He took a large pinch of Floo Powder from the jar on the table and tossed it in."Here we go!Basingstoke Hall!"

***

They emerged from the fireplace of a beautiful drawing room in what appeared to be a Victorian manor.

A delicate hand reached out to help Amihan from the hearth.To the young witch's surprise, it turned out to be the violet-eyed beauty from the pictures on Remus's mantelpiece.The only difference was that there were now streaks of silver in her jet-black hair.

"Thank you," Amihan gasped gratefully even as two house-elves brushed the soot off her robes.

"You're welcome," the lady responded kindly."You would be Professor Amihan Sinagtala; Remus has told us so much about you."

"He obviously corresponds with you quite often, Lady Basingstoke."

"Actually, it's Octavia Lupin."She smiled."I _would_ appreciate if you called me Octavia as your mother Murasaki was a very good friend of mine when she and your father were here.How are they, by the way?"

"Oh, they're currently on vacation in the United States, milady," Amihan replied."My eldest sister Sining and her family are there and so is my other sister Marilag."

"Hallo, Mum!"Remus tenderly kissed his mother's cheek."How are you?Where's Dad?"

"I'm as well as can be expected, dear," Octavia smiled at her only son."Your father's already in the dining room with Sirius and Severus.The Minister is with them."

"You've met Amihan?"

"Yes."She clasped the younger witch's hands warmly."I'm so glad that someone's finally making an effort to find a cure for Remus's condition.I do hope you succeed, my dear; it would mean so much to us all."

"I hope so, too, milady."Amihan bobbed a slight curtsey.

"Harry will be a bit late, Mum," Remus informed his mother as the three of them made their way to the dining room."We sent Hermione and Ron on an errand so he decided to wait for them."

"Those three remind me so much of how you and your friends were years ago."Octavia chuckled as she remembered the owls that had arrived at the manor bearing messages that their son was under detention for one prank or another.Her smile grew sad as she said, "It just didn't last."

"Oh, Mum…" Comfortingly, Remus patted her arm.

Sirius and Snape were already sitting at a lovely table set with damask cloths, fine china, good crystal, and exquisite silverware.Lord Basingstoke, the more robust version of Remus, sat at the head of the table with Dumbledore to his right.The Minister looked old and careworn by the recent crisis, but his eyes sparkled nevertheless at seeing the newcomers.

"Ah, there you are!" he exclaimed."We were just talking about you two."

"Nothing negative, I hope," Amihan grinned.

"Oh, no!Nothing of the sort, my dear."Minister Dumbledore and Lord Basingstoke rose to shake hands."Marcus, may I present Amihan Sinagtala?She's one of our alumna and is most certainly a credit to Hogwarts.Amihan, dear, this is Marcus-Aurelius Lupin, Lord Basingstoke and publisher of Moonlight Books and the _Daily Prophet_."

Though father and son bore only passing resemblances to each other, it was obvious that Remus had picked up his paternal ways from Marcus who was certainly kindness personified.Marcus echoed his wife's sentiments about the cure for lycanthropy.Amihan sincerely hoped that she wouldn't let any of them down.

When the youngsters finally arrived, luncheon was served.Over the consommé, Minister Dumbledore spoke gravely about Pettigrew's escape and how he feared that the fugitive would probably make his way to Hogwarts to exact revenge on those who sent him to Azkaban.

"That's why I'm glad that we have both a werewolf _and_ a _neko-onna_ at Hogwarts this year," he told them.Everyone at the table murmured in shock at what he just said; Harry, Remus, and Snape looked unfazed by the revelation."Even in their human forms, Remus and Amihan can track Pettigrew down.Their senses are sharper than anyone else's."He eyed them both seriously."I just hope you're both willing to help."

"Wormtail's hurt me more than any of you can imagine," Remus said, his voice soft but there was a note of anger ringing in it."He's hurt enough people – and I'm sure we've all suffered enough – but what he did to me…" He shook his head grimly."It's just unforgivable."

"Amihan?"

Amihan had been listening to Remus's words most carefully.She could tell that it had something to do with his condition: Wormtail's duplicity and disappearance had robbed him of the only three people who could help his get through every full moon.To Amihan, that gave her reason enough to hunt Wormtail down.

"Count me in," she said, her own voice every bit as hard."I'll help catch that rat."Her eyes glinted brightly as she spoke."Cats _do_ catch rats, after all."


	6. Overture to the End

Starlight and Moonlight

Starlight and Moonlight

_A _Harry Potter _Fan Fiction Piece _

By Megaella Ballanche-Viewlard

**_ _**

Part Six: _Overture to the End_

"You're a _what_?" Sirius exclaimed, staring at Amihan in disbelief.

"_Neko-onna_," Amihan replied with a small smile."A semi-lycanthropic being indigenous to Japan but can be found anywhere in Asia."Seeing the bewildered expression on her colleague's face, she decided to try a different explanation."Think of it this way: an Animagus who shares the powers of a werewolf."

"Amihan is about as dangerous as I am on a full moon," Remus chimed in by way of an explanation."Possibly even more so because a single bite from a _neko-onna_ – even a very small one – is lethal."

"Fatal!"Sirius drew back, dropping his soupspoon in the process with a loud clatter.He stared at Amihan incredulously."I _don't_ believe it!" he cried in consternation.

"In her case, however," Remus continued, "the Change is voluntary.It doesn't hurt her at all."

"In which case, would anyone mind if I made a brief demonstration?"Amihan turned to Minister Dumbledore inquisitively.

"Not at all," Dumbledore motioned for her to go on.The others also nodded their consent.

"Very well…"

She had not done it in years and surprised herself that the shift of shapes from woman to cat still came so easy.It had always come easy to her, easier than most as a matter of fact.She just _flowed_ into the form, letting the very substance of her being flow like water poured from one container to another without a drop spilling.The Change neither expanded nor diminished her.She did not dread it the way Remus dreaded it nor did it jolt her the way most Animagi were jolted by the Metamorphosis Spell.Indeed, it came as easily as breathing to the raven-haired witch.

Everyone stared in amazement as the young woman before them shrank into the form of a beautiful blue-black Persian cat.Grinning, the cat stretched a bit once the transformation was complete and proceeded to groom herself most calmly.She walked up to Remus and mewed softly as she looked up at him.

"Please pick me up," she seemed to say.The violet-eyed wizard was more than happy to oblige and soon had her curled up on his lap, purring luxuriously as he stroked back her soft fur.

"How's a little housecat like that going to help bring Wormtail down?" Sirius asked, looking at the cat on his friend's lap rather dubiously."He's a wily sort, you know.Even Hermione's Crookshanks had trouble with him and that cat's a fairly good hunter."

"You'd be surprised, Professor Black."Sirius choked back an oath as they heard Amihan's voice from the cat's mouth.Lightly, she hopped off Remus's lap and drew back a bit.To the shock of everyone present, the little cat grew into a mighty panther that growled menacingly at Sirius.The dark-haired Transfiguration professor seemed to cringe in his seat as he watched her transform.Snape seemed to enjoy his reaction very much.

Even Amihan was laughing as she flowed back into her human form and took her place at the table.

"Amazing!" Hermione exclaimed, enthusiastically applauding their teacher's demonstration of her powers."It must've taken you _years_ to perfect that transformation!"

"Actually, I could transform almost as soon as I was born," Amihan corrected her with a smile. "Don't tell me you weren't listening to my lecture on _neko-onna_, Miss Granger!You can only be _neko-onna_ if you're born into a family of _neko-onna_."

"It must be real cool to be a born Animagus," Ron sighed admiringly.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, raising his water goblet in their teacher's direction."I'll drink to that!"

"Then that must mean all of you are _neko-onna_," Octavia Lupin joined in.

"Not really," Amihan admitted wryly."Mom's the _neko-onna_ doe but my dad is just a regular wizard – no Animagus skills whatsoever.Of five children, three were born _neko-onna_ while the only son is a confirmed carrier."A fond smile flickered over her lips as she remembered her family.How proud her father had been when he realized that three of his little girls were just like their mother!Amihan could almost hear her father's rumbling _basso profundo_ booming indulgently over her and her two older sisters but knew that he would always have a soft spot for the sister who had no powers whatsoever."Of five, one turned out a Squib," she said in a lowered voice that throbbed with a tinge of sorrow long repressed.She looked uneasy; she obviously hadn't spoken about her sister in years."My twin sister, Alapaap, used to tag along behind me every time I went out on a hunt.Yet, I never heard her complain about being the powerless one in a powerful wizarding family."A single tear streaked down her cheek as she remembered Alapaap's cheerful face as it glowed every time her sisters got her presents from whatever school they were attending or whichever country they were in.Remus tenderly held her hand to comfort her; she smiled gratefully at him.

"She's been dead all these years," Amihan went on, dabbing off the tear with her napkin."But I owe her big-time for the help she gave me with the lycanthropy project, the way she pored over the books while I did the field work.I'm sure she didn't want me to brood after she passed away, but I _did_ brood and my heart was consumed by the thought that I wasn't the perfect witch and was thus unable to prevent her dying.

"It was only recently that someone taught me that there are those who suffer from circumstances worse than those I've been through."Remus looked away at those words."At the same time, I realized that there were more important things than the craving for revenge or the lust for the destruction of those who get in one's way."Amihan lifted her head and there was an odd sort of glow in her golden eyes."Things like trying to reach out to others who are in more pain than you are, joining forces with former enemies against a common evil…" At that, Snape slid a sidelong glance at Sirius and sighed."Even the effort of finding a cure for a condition that has kept someone from living a normal life, particularly someone who's become very important to you."

"You've grown up since you left us, Amihan dear," Dumbledore remarked kindly.

"And you display a most uncommon maturity for one so young," Marcus Lupin nodded in agreement towards her.

"Have I?Do I?"Amihan smiled in a self-deprecating manner at their words."Sometimes I still think I'm the same abominable little git who demanded perfection from herself and those around her, the little witch who was forever hatching up plots to stay on top at Hogwarts."

"In any case, I have no doubts as to your capabilities for catching Peter Pettigrew."Dumbledore addressed both Amihan and Remus at that point.There was a worried air about the Minister's wise person as he looked at everyone at the table."We ought to take a page out of Alastor Moody's book, however, and be on our guard at all times."He fixed an intent eye on the two remaining Marauders."Do either of you still have that map of the school you charted years ago?"

"I do," Remus replied, nodding."It's over my fireplace in Gryffindor Tower."

"Excellent.I would advise you to make three copies of that map, Remus.Give one copy to Minerva, one to Severus, and one to Amihan.That way, all of you can keep an eye over the school."He looked grim as he set down his soupspoon."I shudder to think of what Pettigrew might do if he ever gets to Hogwarts."

***

"I heard everything."

The seven of them Floo Powdered back to Hogwarts and found Minerva McGonagall waiting for them in Remus's study.Judging from the stricken expression on her ashen face, what had been said at Basingstoke Hall had shaken her to the core and she was frightened by the implications.

"Well, we have our orders," Sirius said as he sat down in one of the armchairs."What now?"

"Let me check the map first."Remus tapped the parchment over the fireplace with his wand and intoned the password."_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._"

Once again, lines blossomed over the blank parchment.Intently, eight pairs of eyes scanned over its surface.To everyone's relief Pettigrew was nowhere in sight.

"Mischief managed."Remus looked up at the now-empty parchment and then at his companions."Three copies, right?"

"Here: let me."Amihan waved her own wand over the parchment."_Replicatio Triplicata!_"

At once, three copies of the map fluttered to the carpeted floor.Remus picked them up and handed one each to Amihan, Snape, and the Headmistress.

"Remus," Amihan studied the seemingly blank parchment in her hands, "can we change the passwords for our personal copies?"

"Yes," Remus replied."Just cast the Encryption Spell over it."

"That can be managed," Snape said as he rolled up his copy and put it in his pocket.He turned to leave."In the meantime, would you please excuse me?I have to write a quiz for my third-year Hufflepuffs."

"Of course."The others nodded and he murmured his goodbyes.

"I take it that you and Starlight are to prowl the premises, Remus?" the Headmistress turned to the brown-haired DADA teacher.

"Between us, we could probably ferret out Wormtail in a jiff," Remus murmured in agreement.However, the solemn look on his pale face seemed to contradict his confident words.As his back was turned towards the Headmistress and the others, only Amihan could see that his face looked worried, even dubious.

The others made their excuses and left the study, leaving Amihan alone with Remus.She turned to him, golden eyes filled with concern as he wearily sank onto the sofa.

"He's a wily one, isn't he?" she asked.

"I'm afraid so," Remus agreed; the tone of his voice made Amihan's heart sink."The wiliest yet."

Amihan sat beside him."You're scaring me, Remus," she admitted nervously."Professor Snape _did_ say something about Pettigrew being a dangerous individual. I haven't hunted in ages and I might not be of much use."

Remus smiled at her."Oh, hunting's pretty much like flying a broom," he said."Once you learn how, you never forget even if you do get out of practice."His face took on a grim set."Oh, Pettigrew's dangerous, all right, but he's also a frightful coward.I daresay that was why he hung out with us Marauders.Sirius could be brash enough to take on any number of bullies.James could be counted on to outwit even the wiliest of enemies while I was sneaky enough to spy on them so we'd know how to counter their tricks.Pettigrew knew that we could take care of ourselves – _and_ him – in case we got into trouble."

There was a faraway look on Remus's face as he remembered what Sirius had lashed out during that terrible night in the Shrieking Shack:

_When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself?But you, Peter – I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start.You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you?It used to be us…me and Remus…and James…_

__"I guess that's why he went over to Voldemort in the first place," Remus continued slowly."Voldemort was growing stronger with each passing day and we all feared that he would win out in the long run.I guess Pettigrew saw it fit to turn over to his side, probably thought it would mean more protection for him in case things went really wrong."

"Did anyone ever suspect that he'd gone over to Voldemort?" Amihan asked as Remus put an arm about her to pull her closer.

"Lily – Harry's mum – had an inkling," Remus admitted."She never liked Peter for some odd reason and picked up a fight with Padfoot when he chose that little rat for their Secret-Keeper.In fact, she picked up a fight with James over a number of decisions involving Padfoot and Peter.Why Padfoot was Harry's godfather instead of me, why Peter was Secret-Keeper instead of me."

"With all that said, why _didn't_ they choose you?"

"Believe it or not, Padfoot suspected that _I_ was the traitor in their midst."

Amihan stared at him in consternation."_You_?" she cried."Why?I would understand why they didn't assign you as Harry's guardian: it _is_ risky to put a little boy into the hands of a man who turned into a man-eating beast once a month!But why did he think you were a traitor?Was it also because you're a werewolf?"When Remus nodded, rage seemed to burn in Amihan's veins.To her, it was monstrous that Sirius Black had chosen to be prejudiced against one of his dearest friends at a time when they really had to stick up for each other."That _idiot_!" she grated."Remus, you'd have given your life for any of them if they asked you to!"

"Amihan, you have to understand that this was a time when dark forces were up and about."He smirked ironically as he spoke."Voldemort was already drafting in Dementors and vampires into his service.I guess it wouldn't have been long till he started drafting merpeople and werewolves into the fray.I think Padfoot realized that and decided that I probably wasn't trustworthy enough to be put under the Fidelius Charm.

"Lily tore into him when she found out why Peter was Secret-Keeper and not me.All hell broke loose in Godric's Hollow that day when Sirius came in to tell her and James.She was in full Tiger Lily mode back then and not even James could restrain her from ripping Sirius to shreds.Padfoot left their house badly scratched, as a matter of fact.

"The following day, Lily dropped by Basingstoke Hall with baby Harry…"

***

"Master Remus, Mrs. Potter be here."

Nineteen-year-old Remus Lupin looked up from the Greek text on Minotaurs he had been translating for a new book.A house-elf was at the door of the library announcing the presence of Lily Potter and her little son.

"Mistress say to show Mrs. Potter to library," the elf said.Bobbing a short bow, the elf left as Remus rose to usher Lily in.

"Tiger Lily!" he exclaimed in greeting, politely kissing her cheek as he divested her of her gurgling, squirming little bundle.Little Harry looked happy to see him.

"Moony!" the baby declared as Remus tossed him up indulgently.

"Hallo, Harry!"Remus was equally delighted to see the little boy.Harry was getting to be like a nephew to the young author who was, alas, an only child."What brings you and Mummy to Basingstoke today?"He waved Lily to the couch and sat beside her."I take it this isn't exactly a social call."

"You've heard about Peter, haven't you?" Lily began without preamble.

"That he's your Secret-Keeper now?Yes, James clued me in on it yesterday."

"Well, I'm _not_ happy about it," she declared hotly."It should've been _you_."

"_Me_?"Remus stared at her in surprise."Lily, Peter's every bit as trustworthy as any of us."

"Trustworthy?_That_ little rat is trustworthy?"At that point, Remus thought every cliché about the irritability of red-haired people was perfectly true in Lily's case.Her green eyes were flashing with rage."Moony, I do _not_ trust Wormtail one single bit.Come to think of it, I've _never_ trusted Wormtail!Why does _he_ get to be Secret-Keeper and _you_ can't?"

"Aw, Lily!"Remus regarded her sadly."You _do_ know what I am, don't you?"

"Of course I do!I've known you were a werewolf for years and I honestly don't know why everyone's making such a big deal about it where Secret Keeping's concerned!"

"Haven't you heard the rumors, Lily?They say that Voldemort's been casting Compelling Spells over Dementors and vampires to do his bidding.Who knows when werewolves will be next?"He shook his head regretfully."I'm sorry, Lily.In this case, we have to trust Padfoot's judgment.I can't put any of you in danger, Lily, and you – of all people – should know that."

"But, Remus!" Lily protested, trembling with a barely suppressed rage."You know as well as I do that you'll kill yourself first before you turn traitor on us!"

"Lily…"

"Remus, you know how Peter has been all these years.He's the sort of person who _will_ turn his back on his friends if he thinks that they're a disadvantage to his own safety and security.For all we know, he may already have gone over to Voldemort!"Lily suddenly broke down, tears streaming down her lovely face.Remus gently put Harry in his mother's arms and embraced both mother and child consolingly."It's bloody unfair, Remus," Lily now wept."It just _isn't_ fair!"

"Please don't worry about it, Lily," Remus murmured beseechingly."I'm sure things will work out for best."

"They won't," Lily sobbed bitterly, cradling her infant son to her bosom. "I am sure that they won't…"

***

"She was right, you know," Remus sighed disconsolately."As things turned out, Peter _didn't_ work out fine.

"Peter tattled to Voldemort about them.Voldemort killed them both.Sirius tried to corner Peter but only got framed in the process.For the next twelve years, we all thought Peter was dead and Sirius was the traitor.He spent the next twelve years moldering in Azkaban, brooding over his innocence to keep the Dementors from driving him mad.Poor Harry was thrown at the mercy of Lily's Muggle sister and her dreadful little family.

"And I…"

He didn't have to say it.Amihan realized that Pettigrew's duplicity had, in one fell swoop, divested Remus of the only three people who could help him get through the agony of the full moon.Tears were now streaming down his face as that long-forgotten memory came back to stab him once more as he finished his tale.

Tears were rolling down Amihan's face as well when she put her arms about his thin body, letting him weep in the same manner he'd let her when she had to reveal the truth about her sister's death and the dreadful events that followed.She let him press his ear against her heart, letting its steady rhythm lull him to healing sleep even as Amihan murmured words of consolation into his other ear.

***

Time passed and the full moon came a week before Halloween.

Normally, Padfoot and the younger Prongs would sit with the gray wolf in Remus's office.This time, however, neither of them were present as someone else sat vigil with the wolf they called Moony.Instead, Sirius, Harry, and Ron all stood guard as they sat by the door of Remus's office.

Inside, Amihan sat at Remus's desk, keeping a close watch over her copy of the Marauders' Map while the large gray wolf napped by the fire.The raven-haired witch was frowning as she studied the Map and looked more than a little worried.The Map was most certainly effective but, alas, it wasn't perfect.For one thing, it only featured the school itself and, for another, there was one part of the school that the Marauders had trouble plotting: the Forbidden Forest.

Amihan wasn't sure if the four lads had ever made an effort to plot the Forest into the Map, let alone roamed in it.She herself knew how tricky it was since the Forest was never the same from one season to the next; she would know – there were many instances in her childhood when she just couldn't help but roam the Forest in the form of a cat.None of the beasts in that enchanted wood ever dared to attack her as they knew that she could be quite a dangerous foe if provoked.

_Who would be best to ask if Wormtail's been in the Forest?_ she thought as she went over the Map.Mentally, she went over the various creatures that lived in the Forbidden Forest.The centaurs were bound to be more than a little vague, obsessed as they were in the movements of the heavens.The Sphinx annoyed Amihan with her constant riddling.That alone crossed her out of the list.One by one, she considered the beasts that lived in the Forbidden Forest until she hit upon her best possible choice: Aragog the acromantula._Aragog would know!His children lurk in all parts of the Forest and their senses are keen enough to sniff out strangers in their midst._

On rising, she went over to where Moony lay fast asleep.Sitting next to him, she gently smoothed back his fur and whispered into his ear."Wake up, Moony," she whispered."I think I've found a way to look over the Forest."

One golden eye opened and looked inquisitively at Amihan. His tail wagged eagerly.

"Oh, you naughty wolf!"Amihan laughed as the wolf got up and proceeded to lick her face in a most playful manner."You weren't asleep at all!"She was in no danger of being hurt by him, as _neko-onna_ were immune to werewolf bites.She scratched him behind the ears while purring like a cat."You must be hungry," she said and took a small plate of rice-flour cakes off the desk and set it before him."Here: I steamed these for you.They're very nice.Eat up whilst I get the others ready to go."

She walked up to the door and motioned for Sirius to come in."You'd better tell Potter and Weasley to go back to Gryffindor Tower," she told him."The three of us are going out."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at that."The _three_ of us?"He pointed out the door."Do you honestly think that Harry and Ron can resist going after us?" he demanded."Heck, they'll even drag Hermione and Ginny along given half the chance!Best that we take them with us, Starlight."

"Have you taken leave of your senses, Sirius?"Amihan glared at him furiously."I can understand if you want to take Potter along as he _is_ an Animagus, but you're putting the rest of them in mortal danger!"

"Starlight, these kids have been through more danger than you probably ever will."Sirius hadn't meant to be snide, but he knew that the younger teacher had not been with them long enough to know what sort of hair-raising adventures the youngsters had over the past several years."Let them come along.It's not like none of us know how to deal with the beasts in the wood."

A sudden sharp bark made both of them turn.Moony was bristling angrily at Sirius.He obviously agreed with Amihan that it was unnecessary to put the students into another precarious situation.The gray wolf growled menacingly at Sirius and slowly began to advance towards him.

"He obviously disagrees with you, Sirius," Amihan noted mildly."Let _me_ talk to the boys."

"No, you'd better let me do the talking."Sirius trembled visibly as the wolf continued its slow, relentless advance.Sirius went out, slamming the door behind him hastily in the process.

"You didn't have to scare him, Moony," Amihan chuckled, squatting beside the wolf who now sat on his haunches, tongue lolling out in lupine laughter.She hugged the wolf who was only pleased to lick her face again."You really are full of tricks, aren't you?"

***

Just to make sure that Remus didn't attack anyone unnecessarily while he was a wolf despite the dose of Wolfsbane Potion he'd taken the previous week, Amihan used an old trick used among _neko-onna_ who were bonded to werewolves: she tied a strand of her hair about his tail before they went out of his office.

To Sirius's surprise, Amihan brought them to the front door of Slytherin Tower.

"Pure-blood," she told the moss-covered wall before them.The wall slid open to reveal a high threshold just like the one at Gryffindor Tower."Wait for me here," she advised Sirius and Moony."There's someone we have to take along."

"You're going to take the ugly git with us?"Sirius thought that nothing could have been more appalling."You're insane!"

"Shut up, Sirius," Amihan grunted impatiently.As she climbed up the threshold, she patted Moony's furry head affectionately."Be a nice wolf and stand guard over your friend, Moony," she asked him."If he strays out of line, you have every right to nip him.Okay?"Moony laughed; needless to say that Sirius looked more than a little put out with his best friend as Amihan disappeared through the entrance hole.

"Whose side are you on?" Sirius muttered to the still-laughing wolf sitting beside him.

Meanwhile, Amihan had entered the Slytherins' territory and was greeted in their common room by the sixth-years.

"Malfoy, where's your Head of House?" she asked the pale-haired Slytherin prefect.

"I'll get him, Professor," Draco replied, rising to his feet."He's up in his study."

When Draco had gone, Amihan looked over the Slytherin sixth-years.They were an unruly lot according to the other teachers, but they had always been well-behaved in her class save for the one time that Draco had volunteered to help her drive Professor Lupin up the wall.One might even say that they were almost afraid of her; she supposed that Snape had told them about what she was and how she was definitely more dangerous than Professor Lupin on a full moon.That was enough to keep even the worst bullies in check.

"Crabbe and Goyle," she now snapped at Draco's two burly cohorts."I want you to stand guard after Professor Snape and I leave."She eyed the rest of the class grimly."If you value your safety, none of you will follow us."

"Bet you the Gryffindors will be after you," Pansy Parkinson muttered glumly.

"That's what you think, Parkinson.But, no: even the Gryffindors aren't going to be allowed out tonight."

"But, Professor…"

"That's enough, Parkinson!" Amihan snapped at the grim-faced Slytherin girl."Now: I want the lot of you upstairs in your dormitories as soon as we leave."Presently, she spied Draco and Snape coming down the spiral staircase."Malfoy, be sure to take everyone up to their rooms after this."

"Yes, Professor," Draco replied somewhat reluctantly.

Snape nodded to Amihan and the two of them went out of the Tower.When the door creaked shut behind them, Draco swore underbreath and motioned for them to gather round.

"I think they're after Peter Pettigrew," he told his fellow Slytherins."I heard Professor Snape talking about it with Sinagtala and Lupin yesterday.Sinagtala wants to prowl the grounds tonight; she said something about wanting to explore the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade, too."

"And you want to go after them?" Blaise Zabini snapped at Draco."You a nutter or something, Draco?You remember the _last_ time you went into the Forbidden Forest – you almost got killed!"

"Don't go, Draco!" Pansy begged him tearfully.They'd become a couple since the Yule Ball in their fourth year and, though both of them were rather mean to everyone else, it was obvious that they cared deeply for each other."It was bad enough the last time!"She grasped his hand suddenly."If _you're_ going, you'd better take me along with you."

"Pansy!"Draco was shocked."No way!" he snapped."It's much too dangerous.Besides…"He drew a deep breath and spoke in a grim voice."Pettigrew's mine.He blew the whistle on my father and got him sent to Azkaban.I'm going to kill him, Pansy."There was a shocked intake of breath in the room as the class gasped in horror."I'm going to kill him and I don't want you there: it's not going to be a pretty sight."

"I don't care!" Pansy cried."I'm going with you!"

Draco's shoulders fell in defeat, crushed by the tears running down her face."All right," he agreed in a subdued voice."Might as well; you'll pick a fight with me if I don't, anyway.Crabbe, come with us.Goyle, stay behind and help Blaise stand watch.The rest of you: _get to bed_!"

***

Meanwhile, things were none the better at Gryffindor Tower on the other side of the school.

"Something's up," Harry muttered as he and Ron clambered into the portrait hole."I think Sinagtala's figured out that the Marauders' Map doesn't cover the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade."

"That doesn't sound good, Harry," Ron mused as they sat down in the common room."For all we know, Wormtail could be lurking in there and he'd probably be able to catch us off-guard!"

The boys regarded each other, each feeling the other's impatience and restlessness.They'd gone through times like these together, times when they really shouldn't have been barging into things.But Wormtail said that he would be after those who threw him into Azkaban – and that included both of them and Hermione.This was definitely no time to be sitting down lest they were caught flat-footed in the long run.

"What are you two doing here?"They looked up to see Hermione coming down the girls' staircase."I thought you were out sitting with Remus in his office."

"They've all gone out," Ron told her as he took her by the hand.He explained that Amihan had a number of suspicions and how they would be going out to investigate."It must be really bad," he opined."They're even taking _Snape_ with them!"

"What's going on?"On looking up, they saw the rest of their class coming down the stairs."Professor Lupin's all right, isn't he?"

Hermione excused herself, going upstairs to change.The others stared at Harry and Ron in bewilderment.

"He's okay," Harry assured them, relieved as he was that Ginny hadn't wakened.Otherwise, she'd be begging him to tag along."But they're out hunting; Snape's with them, too."

By hunting, the other Gryffindors knew what he meant.At once, they began to babble nervously among themselves.Harry was quick to shush them lest they woke the seventh-years and the younger kids with their chatter.

"We're going after them," he said determinedly."If Wormtail's in there, I want dibs on him.I stopped Remus and Sirius from killing him and see what happened afterwards: he got Voldemort back."He sighed."He's partly responsible for Voldemort's killing my mum and dad – _and I refuse to let him get away this time_!He's gotten away thrice already and there's no way I'll let him go a fourth time."

"Seamus, you and Lavender keep watch tonight," Hermione advised her fellow Gryffindor prefect as she came down.Her cat, Crookshanks, was in her arms.The big ginger cat looked more than a little annoyed at having been roused from slumber.The sandy-haired boy nodded to Lavender and they took their places in chairs by the door.Hermione turned to the others."The rest of you get back to bed.If I'm right, we'll be out most of the night."

"C'mon," Ron urged them."They're probably out of the castle by now."

"Very well, then."Harry nodded to his companions."Let's go."

***

The four professors stopped by Hagrid's hut before they forayed into the Forest.Luckily, Hagrid couldn't sleep that night and had been up knitting a hideous orange sweater when they arrived.

"Yeh picked a beau'iful night for huntin', Starlight," he commended the young professor."Pity yeh have ter go after some pretty ugly prey, though."

"Positively hideous, Hagrid," Amihan smiled at the giant gamekeeper."Actually, we popped by for a bit of advice about Aragog.He's still here, isn't he?"

"Yeah, gone blind now has Aragog," Hagrid admitted sadly.He _had_ raised the acromantula patriarch himself at the price of getting expelled from Hogwarts."Still lives in th' deepest neck o' the Forest.Has his young `uns do his huntin fer him.Why'd yeh ask?"

"Would Aragog attack any of us in our animal forms?"

"Nah.Them acromantulas feed on humans or pigs or cows or such.Yeh won't be in no harm if yeh see `im as Animagi."Affectionately, he patted Moony's head."Good ter see yeh, Remus.Now, _yeh_ and Starlight won't be in no danger.Aragog and his kin don't care much fer the likes o' yeh.Scared stiff o' yeh is what they are."Absently, he added that the old acromantula might remember Amihan."Knows that yeh used to come visit `im wi' me years ago, y'know."

"That settles it," Snape murmured."We change forms."

"What do you mean _we_, slimeball?" Sirius roared at him."You couldn't _possibly_ be an Animagus!"

"You're wrong, Sirius," Amihan corrected him in an annoyingly mild tone."Did you honestly think there were only _three_ unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts during your time?If you did, well, I'm sorry to say that you're wrong.There were _four_ of you.Show him, please, Professor Snape."

"With pleasure."Snape stuck his wand out to one side."_Metamorphose_!" he roared.To Sirius's astonishment, he turned into a large black snake that hissed contemptuously at the wide-eyed Transfiguration professor.

"You'd better change form as well, Sirius," Amihan advised him as she melted into the form of the blue-black panther."We're going in." 

***

Aragog the acromantula, patriarch of the giant spiders who dwelt in the Forbidden Forest, was surprised when a familiar presence was ushered before his web.

"Cat-child!" he greeted Amihan with some surprise, clicking his pincers."You have been long in your absence.What are you doing here?Where is Hagrid?"

"Hagrid is in his dwelling, Lord Aragog," the panther-witch replied respectfully."My companions and I hunt the one they call Wormtail."

"Ah, the disciple of the Unnamable.Yes, I have been made aware of his escape.You need not worry: my children patrol these woods at night and they have been most keen in advising me of what goes on here."But the old acromantula looked disturbed as he regarded them with sightless eyes."Yes, the disciple has been spotted here.He lurks in here like a hunter-beast waiting for prey."

A younger acromantula crawled up Aragog's web and muttered something with loud clicks of his pincers.

"Magog tells me that he advances towards the school," he informed the hunters."Be careful, Cat-child; he is a most dangerous foe."

"And am _I_ not dangerous myself, Lord Aragog?"

"Yes, you are a most dangerous enemy to have, Cat-child.But this one you hunt…"Aragog's voice trailed off as he suddenly grew alert.The other acromantulas around him also began clicking their pincers frantically."Wait!" the old acromantula thundered."There be humans in the wood!"

"Children!" the young acromantula called Magog declared."Not much meat on them, but they will be sweet enough for a treat, my lord."

The panther rolled her eyes up in annoyance.Moony and Snape stared at each other in bewilderment.Behind her, the great black dog's tongue lolled out of his mouth in laughter.

"The children are with us, Lord Aragog," Amihan now advised the old acromantula."I would rather that none of your children hurt them."

"As you wish, Cat-child."Aragog clicked his pincers to warn his children away.

"But I _would_ appreciate it if your children could capture them for me."

Magog leapt into action, springing off the web.He clicked at a number of others to follow him.Before long, there were screams coming from close by.

"Yours?" Snape hissed over to Moony.

"Most likely," the wolf growled in annoyance.

To Snape's surprise, however, not only did Magog return with Potter, Granger, and Weasley but he also returned with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Parkinson.

"What are yours doing out so late?" Moony asked the mortified black mamba coiled beside him.

"I really wouldn't want to know."

"What's this?"Amihan flowed back into her human form and, hands on her hips, stared down the shamefaced six the acromantulas had taken before her."I half expected the Gryffindors to sneak out but I sure as heck wasn't counting on _Slytherins_ being here, too!"

Harry and Draco slid embarrassed glances at each other._Oh, boy! _they seemed to tell each other._We're _both_ dead now…_

There was a plaintive whine behind Amihan and a pleading sort of hiss.When she turned, she saw both wolf and snake gazing at her beseechingly.With a sigh, her shoulders fell and she relented.

"As both your Heads of House have begged me _not_ to take points from either of your Houses, I won't."However, Amihan drew herself up with arms crossed at her chest."But you still owe me and explanation why you're all up and about."

"Wormtail got my father thrown into prison," Draco replied bitterly."I wanted to pay him back for what he did."

"_Accio!_"Amihan pointed her wand at him and a small dagger flew into her free hand from one of his pockets."By killing him, I suppose?Malfoy, I thought better of you."Draco hung his head remorsefully."And, Potter?"

"Wormtail helped kill my parents," came the anguished reply."It was my fault why he got away and Voldemort returned."

"So now you want to make amends by killing him?"Amihan shook her head in dismay."Potter, I'm very disappointed in you."She sighed again."Well, there's no help for it now, I guess.You may as well come with us.But Potter?Change form: it's safer that way."

She bade Aragog and his family farewell and thanked them.Amihan flowed back into the form of the panther and led them out of Aragog's lair.

They wandered throughout the Forbidden Forest, carefully avoiding the more dangerous beasts that lurked within.For once, neither Gryffindors nor Slytherins sniped at each other, mortified as they were at having been caught in the presence of their Heads of House.Hermione and Pansy began to tire around midnight and Harry agreed to carry them on his back while he was in his Animagus form.

"This is getting to be rather futile," Padfoot grunted towards dawn."We've been running around in circles for hours!"

"You're getting old, Padfoot," Moony laughed, nipping at his friend's flank as he and the others sped along.Suddenly, he came to a halt and sniffed about."Hold it!"

Amihan also caught the scent and growled to the others to hold fast.

"From that direction," Moony told her, pointing east with his snout."Let _me_ go, Amihan.Just to make sure it's safe."

"Be careful," Amihan mewed worriedly, nuzzling him.Moony nuzzled her back and loped off in search of Wormtail.

Amihan, Sirius, and Snape all changed back and regarded each other worriedly.

"He's here, isn't he?"Sirius's face looked bleak.

Amihan nodded without looking this way.Within her, her heart was pounding with worry.

"Get the kids back to the castle," she told her colleagues.

"But…" Both Sirius and Snape hesitated.

"Just go!"When Amihan spun around to face them, they saw that her face was deathly pale and she was trembling.Fists clenched at her sides, she rounded on them."Don't expose them to any more danger, for crying out loud!" she cried.

Snape noted that it was getting light.The first rays of sunshine were beginning to light up the sky.Sharply, he motioned for the students to follow him back to Hogwarts.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he hissed to Amihan in passing.

"I do."Amihan desperately tried to stay calm."Just get them…"

A scream sliced through the still air of the Forest – a scream filled with pain.It was the scream of a defenseless person attacked by something – or someone…

Amihan's heart went lickety-split as she dashed in the direction the wolf had gone earlier.

"Remus!" she cried."Remus, where are you?"

Sirius blanched and Snape's eyes widened in horror.Harry shook his head in disbelief, changing back to his human form as the girls got off his back when they heard that scream.Ron and Crabbe both stood stock-still, their faces ashen.

"He didn't find Wormtail," Draco murmured in shock."Wormtail found him."


	7. It All Ends Here...

**Starlight**** and ****Moonlight******

_A _Harry Potter _Fan Fiction Piece_

_By Megaella Ballanche-Viewlard_

**Seventh and Final:**

**_It All Ends Here…_**

** **

She didn't care if the dense brambles of the wood tore at her face, hands, and robes.

She didn't care if the low-hanging branches left her hair askew.

She didn't even care if Wormtail came after her next.

_Remus will be changing back by now, _she thought uneasily as she sprinted through the woods._Or maybe he _has_ changed back…_Her insides seemed to freeze at that thought.A werewolf who had just changed back to his human form was dreadfully vulnerable as he was drastically weakened by the Change.If Remus had run into Wormtail just as he was changing back…_Oh, God_, Amihan prayed, _please don't let me be too late!_

__She came upon them in a clearing: the flabby little gray man standing over a naked, defenseless figure lying in a heap before him.The little man was gasping for breath and he held a dagger in his silver hand – a dagger that dripped blood.

Amihan screamed in horror at what she saw.The flabby little man dropped the dagger and stared at her in surprise.

Presently, Sirius and Snape caught up with Amihan.Sirius also froze when he saw the dreadful tableau before them.Never had he seen anything so horrible since the day he came upon the ruined house in Godric's Hollow so long ago.Snape drew back, anger rushing through his veins at seeing the traitor who had caused them all so much grief.

"Wormtail!" Sirius roared, rushing towards the culprit with his wand drawn.

"After him, Black!" Snape ran close behind him, his own wand drawn and ready.

"How convenient."There was a tight smile on Wormtail's face as he raised his own wand."All of you here at once; that just makes revenge much easier for me."

"What's going on?" Harry demanded as he and the other students arrived.But no one stopped to explain.

Sirius and Snape were rushing at Wormtail while Amihan ran to Remus's side.But before any of them could reach either culprit or victim, Wormtail lifted his silvery hand over them.

"It's all over!" he declared to them."_Avada Kedavra!_"

Then Remus – terribly wounded, horribly weakened Remus – stood between Wormtail and his companions.His own wand in hand, he had been muttering something the whole time their enemy had been preparing to throw the curse at them.The tip of his wand began to glow and, before long, the glow enveloped all his allies.

"What's happening?" Pansy shrilled as the light of their DADA teacher's wand covered them all.

"I don't know!" Hermione cried, grabbing hold of Ron's arm.In her other arm, Crookshanks hissed menacingly.

"It's a Blocking Spell!" Harry yelled as the spell enveloped them.

"A Blocking Spell?"Draco shot him an incredulous look."Are you nuts, Potter?The _Avada Kedavra_'s an unblockable…" He suddenly remembered something."Potter!It _is_ blockable!You're living proof of that!"

"This is no time for a DADA lecture!" Ron snapped irritably."We've got to help the others!"

"If you're so smart, Weasley, how do you suppose are we going to do that?"

In truth, the shield about them was absolute.Unless Remus faltered, none of them could get out of it nor could the curse get into it.

Wormtail unleashed the dreadful curse in pretty much the same way a child would toss a ball.Remus, however, held his wand steady before him despite the pain that was searing through his body and the wound that was slowly draining his life away.

"_Mamorimasu!_" he roared as the curse hurtled towards them.

Amihan blanched when she heard that spell.The spell was part of a blocking sequence called the _Bôgyo-Butsu_, a technique mastered by Shinto priests in Japan to shield their temples from Dark Forces.As _neko-onna_, she knew how to perform the sequence.However, she and all the other _neko-onna_ on her mother's side of the family were aware that it was only to be used as a last resort in case it meant saving the temple or the clan itself.The _Bôgyo-Butsu_ almost always meant the ultimate sacrifice of one's life for others as very few of those who had used it ever lived to tell about it.

The _Avada Kedavra_ shattered like a glass that had fallen to the floor as it slammed into the shield.To Wormtail's chagrin, the shield held and the powerful curse he'd thrown at them was rendered useless. As the shield dissolved, Remus slumped unconscious into Amihan's arms and Wormtail fled the premises.

"After him!" Sirius roared, giving chase as soon as he and Snape were freed of the spell's restraint.

"Go, Crookshanks!" Hermione urged her cat on as she set him on the ground.The big ginger tom was only glad to oblige; he, too, had a bone to pick with the treacherous Animagus.

"Potter!Crabbe!"Amihan commanded the two to follow Sirius and Snape."Help them go after Wormtail," she gasped."Weasley and Malfoy, take Granger and Parkinson back to the castle.Get the Headmistress and Madam Pomfrey, Malfoy, then come back here as soon as you can.And Weasley: send an owl to Minister Dumbledore as soon as you get there."

The students split up and did as they were told.Meanwhile, Amihan cradled the unconscious Remus in her arms.Only then did she realize how grave his wound was: Wormtail had stabbed him in the back and the wound was deep and bled profusely.

_This is no time to start crying, Amihan!_Despite the tears that were beginning to sting her eyes, she knew that it was not yet time to mourn.She could still save his life.Prying his mouth open with her fingers, she drew out a small phial from her pocket.It was the Wolfsbane Specific she'd brewed earlier as the full moon rose in the sky.Carefully, she poured it down his throat proceeding with caution lest he choked.When the phial had been emptied, she spied the knife Wormtail had used on his former friend.Amihan's blood boiled angrily when it turned out to be silver – a metal that had long been a bane to werewolves._The scum!The wretched, treacherous scum!_

Without thinking, Amihan slashed her own left wrist with the knife.Moving swiftly but cautiously, she turned Remus facedown on the ground to press her bleeding wrist over gaping wound in his back.The wounds of _neko-onna_ healed miraculously for some strange reason and Amihan hoped that a transfusion of her blood would transfer the same capability to Remus even as she saved him from losing any more blood. She drew her wand from her sleeve and tapped it over her other hand.

"_Transfusia_!" she cried.At once, blood began to flow from one body to another.Amihan raised her eyes to the sky.The sun was rising in the east.She prayed that the others came back soon; she was getting dizzy as blood flowed from her veins into Remus's inert body.

_Someone please come for us, soon…_Her eyelids grew heavy._Wormtail might come back…_Slowly, she began to slip into unconsciousness._Someone…Anyone…_

__Her body spent by the night's events and the loss of blood, Amihan slumped forward, shielding Remus's body with her own.

***

Wormtail ran through the gnarly wood with Sirius and the others in hot pursuit.

Moony had been easy prey given the fact that he was weakest just after he changed back to his human form.Wormtail had simply sneaked up on him while he was writhing in pain and stabbed him in the back, silver-bladed knife wielded in his silver hand.Silver was, after all, harmful to a werewolf.

Padfoot, on the other hand, was a completely different matter all together.Wormtail had been mortally afraid of him since they were boys.Sirius's disposition had always been apt to be rash and he was not one to show any mercy to his foes.If Harry hadn't intervened on that awful night some years back, Sirius would have certainly killed him.

_Harry…_Wormtail was only too aware of the fact that he still owed the boy his life.But even Harry knew that Remus and Sirius had every right to kill him if they found out that Wormtail had dared to go anywhere near him ever again.

_Then you should have died! _Sirius had roared angrily on that terrible night._Died rather than betray your friends as we would have done for you!_

Then, adding all the more to Wormtail's guilt, Remus's gentle but stern voice rang in his ears: _You should have realized if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would._

__Saving his own skin had been the foremost thought in Peter Pettigrew's mind since he was a boy at Hogwarts, self-preservation his life's goal.He'd used people bigger and stronger and smarter than he was to stay alive.Now that he was all alone, he dreaded the very same people on whom he used to depend on for his safety.There was only one way by which he could feel safe, and that was to kill them all.

Unfortunately, he had the chance to do so but botched just as he almost always did, having forgotten that one of them knew how to block the deadly curse he'd meant to inflict upon them.Even with Wormtail's knife still sticking out of his back, Remus had managed to cast the ward that had saved their lives.

_Did Moony survive that?_ he thought as he ran away from his pursuers.Personally, Wormtail doubted it.Remus was so weak and the knife had plunged in deep enough for the wound to be a mortal one.

Wormtail was on the run again.This time, he was running away from the very same people he'd betrayed so long ago.As the Muggles would say, it was payback time.

"You won't get away from us so easily this time, traitor!" Sirius roared, hacking through the branches and brambles in his way."This time, you're dead!"

"Not if I can help it, Padfoot!" Wormtail taunted him.He held up his silver hand and roared, "_Metamorphose_!"A big gray rat appeared in his place, scampering out of harm's way.

Sirius swore and changed form; Snape and Harry also took on their Animagi forms.But, before any of them could reach the rat, Hermione's big ginger cat had pounced upon its tail.The rat screamed and fled, his tail getting torn off in the process.

"Marked him!" Sirius declared triumphantly as he changed back."Probably won't be able to go too far this time."

"I hope so," Snape muttered as he and Harry changed forms."There's no forgiveness for what he just did."

Snape's seemingly off-hand remark brought Sirius's mind back to those they'd left far behind.

"Good God!" he gasped, sprinting back to where they left the others."Moony!"

***

Just as those who had gone after Wormtail returned to the scene of the crime, Draco had returned with Madam Pomfrey and a couple of seventh-years bearing stretchers.

Hagrid had been on his morning rounds and had come upon Remus and Amihan before the others did.The massive gamekeeper had wrapped the naked DADA teacher in his moleskin cloak and the latter was, to everyone's surprise, awake and alert.He was presently laying the unconscious Amihan onto a stretcher, his handsome face filled with concern for her.They saw that her wrist was bloody.Strangely enough, though, there was no scar.

"Moony!"Fiercely, Sirius and Harry swamped him into a big hug.

"We thought we'd lost you!" Harry gasped, scarcely believing that Remus was okay.In fact, it seemed that nothing happened at all.And, besides that…

"I'm all right," Remus assured him."Amihan isn't, though.She's lost a lot of blood."He slid a guilt-ridden glance towards the unconscious girl even as the seventh-years bore her off to the castle.

"You're out on your feet, Remus!" Madam Pomfrey declared heatedly."Best that you come along to the hospital wing as well."

"In a minute, Poppy," he called after her.He turned to the others, lowering his voice intently."Did you get him?"

A soft meow by his feet made him look down.Crookshanks nuzzled one of his hands and deposited what appeared to be a rat's tail into it.

"Not quite," Snape replied."But the cat did a good job of marking him."

Remus was silent as he studied the tail in his hand.Wormtail was gone.For now, anyway.But who knew when he would strike again?In the meantime, he took his leave of the others as he followed Madam Pomfrey back to the school.

***

Remus refused to leave Amihan's bedside despite Madam Pomfrey's order for him to stay in bed.

He knew that the wounds of _neko-onna_ healed in an almost miraculous fashion that never left any scars – her slender left wrist was proof of that.But even _neko-onna_ were drastically weakened by a massive loss of blood and Amihan did not stir where she lay.Her honey-tinged skin was terribly pale and she scarcely seemed to be breathing.

Remus looked miserable as he sat at her bedside, thinking that he hadn't thanked her enough for everything she'd done to help alleviate the misery of the Change.He held one of her hands as he sat there, seemingly unreachable by anyone around him.

The Headmistress had suggested that he leave Amihan in Madam Pomfrey's capable hands.She had made the suggestion in the hope that Remus would try to psych himself up to going to his classes.Alas, the DADA teacher ventured out of the hospital wing just long enough to assign some seatwork, taking care to ask a few students to collect their classmates' essays after class.Otherwise, he simply refused to budge from where he was.

For his part, Sirius couldn't stand to see his best friend so and could not bear to stay in the hospital wing.Instead, he went off to teach his classes as best as he could in order to keep from worrying.Around lunchtime, however, the Headmistress summoned him for an errand.

"You called, Minerva?" he asked as he peeked around the door of her office.

"Ah, there you are, Sirius."Headmistress McGonagall rose and motioned for him to enter."You're not the only one who's worried about them, you know.All of us are worried as well."

"Remus had quite a close call," Sirius grunted uneasily."It came as a shock when we found him on his feet."

"It seems like Amihan gave him a blood transfusion and that obviously saved his life."

"True, but look at the mess it got her into.She's still out cold."

The Headmistress looked distressed at that.However, she said nothing as she handed a slip of paper to Sirius.

"In that case, I think a member of her family would do well to come here," she said."I've sent word to her sister in New York.Mediwitch Sinagtala will be using a Portkey to come to Hogsmeade."

"What does this have to do with me?" Sirius cocked his head to one side, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, we all have our responsibilities and I checked your schedule.As you're free for the afternoon, I'd like to ask you to fetch Marilag Sinagtala from Hogsmeade."

"Okay."Mutely, Sirius accepted the paper that had been handed to him.Amihan's sister would be Apparating near the Three Broomsticks.That was good; he needed a drink, anyway – and _bother_ the fact that it was broad daylight.

He went out of the Headmistress's office and ran into the Gryffindor sixth-years, all of whom looked upset by the news of what had happened at dawn.He tried as best as he could to reassure them that everything – and everyone – would be okay.Unfortunately, the grim expression on his face seemed to tell them otherwise.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked his foster-father as they walked down the corridor together.

"I'm to meet someone in Hogsmeade," Sirius informed him as calmly as he could.He slowed to a halt and motioned for Harry to do the same."Has your Uncle Moony taken you for class?"

Harry nodded."But he was only there for a bit, though," he told his foster-father."Just did a short demonstration with a _Kôrime_ is all."The boy shivered at the memory of how the Japanese ice-demon had frosted up the classroom before Remus subdued it with a Heating Spell."He left us to do an essay on _Kôrime_.He's awfully worried about Professor Sinagtala, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," Sirius murmured quietly."Would you see to it that Remus has a proper lunch, Harry?You _do_ know how he gets when he's worried about someone, don't you?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed."He'll forget about his own good."Glumly, he jammed his hands into his pockets as he got ready to turn away."Don't worry, Sirius; I'll make sure he's okay."

"That's my boy."With a fond hug, Sirius sent him off to the Great Hall and went on his way to the teachers' broom closet.

On the way, he came upon diminutive Professor Flitwick.The tiny Charms teacher was struggling down the corridor with a long, slender box much bigger than he was in his arms.Sirius immediately came to his aid.

"Oh, thank you, Sirius!" Professor Flitwick managed to wheeze gratefully as he was relieved of his burden."It arrived at breakfast this morning and I meant to take it to the staff room at first."He frowned."But when I found out that Starlight was unconscious in the hospital wing, I thought about putting it in the broom closet for safekeeping."

"It's a package for her, then?"

"Yes.Six Great Grays flew in carrying that box.Minerva took one look at the owls and declared that they were probably from Italy."

"Italy?"Sirius suddenly stopped when he saw writing on the box lid. His eyes widened at what he saw:

Stracciatello e Figli Scope Fine ed Altri Modi di Trasporto Magico Milano-Roma-Firenze-Venezia

_(Stracciatello and Sons: Fine Broomsticks and Other Modes of Magical Transport.Milan-Rome-Florence-Venice._)

**_ _**

"Good God!" he exclaimed, quite nearly dropping the box in his excitement."It's an Accelerato, Professor Flitwick!Someone's bought Starlight an Accelerato!"

"Oh, my!"Flitwick stared at the box in astonishment."But aren't they frightfully expensive, Sirius?I sincerely doubt that any student would have enough money to order that sort of present for a favorite teacher, popular as Amihan is among them."The tiny teacher's eyes narrowed speculatively."Besides that, I doubt if you can order an Accelerato from _Which Broomstick_."

"True," Sirius agreed thoughtfully."Unless it came from an older admirer."

It was only then that the realization sank into both their brains and the two teachers stared at each other in surprise.

"Remus!" they gasped in unison.

"Yes?" an exhausted-sounding voice asked from behind them.They turned to see Remus limping towards them, his pale face wan and sad."I thought I heard you gentlemen say my name.Is anything the matter?"

"Were you the one who ordered this broomstick, Remus?" Professor Flitwick asked him.

"Oh!"Remus managed to smile despite the depression he was under as Sirius handed him the box."That was fast; I wasn't expecting it till Halloween."There was a hint of deep sorrow in his eyes as he spoke."I had it crafted for Amihan when I learned that her old broom got smashed to bits after it bucked her off some time ago.It was meant to be a surprise for the Halloween Feast."

"How is she?" Flitwick murmured concernedly.

"She still hasn't come around," came the dull-voiced reply.It broke Sirius's heart to see his best friend so despondent but he said nothing lest it came out wrong and did more harm than good."But Poppy says she'll be up any time now."He gulped uneasily and his voice was barely more than a croak."I hope she's right."

Sirius studied his friend for a bit.It was uncanny that he had bounced back so fast after getting stabbed in the back while he was at his weakest.It was more than a little disturbing.Besides that, Sirius wasn't sure if it was just the light in the corridor but it seemed that Remus looked barely older than Harry.

"I daresay she'll need a bit of cheering up once she awakens," Flitwick smiled kindly, patting the younger teacher's thin arm."Perhaps your little surprise might just do the trick, Remus." 

He managed a small smile."I hope so, too, Professor Flitwick."

Flitwick gripped his hand encouragingly and excused himself.As the tiny professor went away, Sirius drew his best friend aside.

"What's going on here, Moony?" he hissed underbreath."How is it that you're up and running considering that the way Wormtail stabbed you should've killed you?And that counterspell you used to save our lives was the same one that nearly killed you more than twenty years ago!"

"That's what's been bothering me, too."Remus lowered his voice and rolled up one of his sleeves."You, of all people, are aware that the Change usually leaves me dreadfully scarred, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, take a look now."The forearm he bared was smooth and unmarred by any scars.Sirius grabbed Remus's arm as he choked back an oath.Remus grimaced uneasily at what they both saw."The scars have all gone, Padfoot – even the wound on my back didn't leave a trace."

"How'd it happen?" Sirius gasped.

"When I came around, Amihan was slumped unconscious over me, her left wrist pressed to where Wormtail stabbed me."His face was contorted by anguish as he spoke."She gave me a blood transfusion, Sirius._That_'s why she's out cold right now; the spell she used was a very complex one that allowed blood to flow from her body to mine by way of a wound – she slashed her wrist to save my life."Sirius blanched at what he just said, but Remus went on."_Neko-onna_ have periodically shed their blood willingly for a sort of quick-healing ointment Japanese wizards have been concocting for ages.When applied to wounds – even the gravest ones – the wounds close almost automatically and leave no scars."

"But, Remus, that still doesn't explain why…"He gulped and stared frankly at his best friend."It still doesn't explain why you look about Harry's age."

Remus's lips pressed into a thin line."The _other _use of _neko-onna_ blood is for youth-sustaining potions," he said in a quiet voice."You see, _neko-onna_ – and men born within a _neko-onna_ line – live lives twice as long as that of the average wizard and they don't seem to age at all.In fact, the only way you'll know how the age of a _neko-onna_ is by looking at how white her hair is.They stop aging at sixteen."

The two friends stared at each other uneasily.

"What are you driving at?" Sirius mumbled."That she's transferred some measure of her powers to you?"

Remus nodded nervously."Besides that…"He fished something out of his pocket."Look."

In his hand was a pretty silver ring wrought in the shape of a full-blown rose.But it wasn't the intricate workmanship that made Sirius's jaw drop in consternation.It was the fact that it was silver.That was the reason why Remus made it a point _not_ to carry money around: his skin burned horribly whenever he came too close to anything made of silver.

"Maybe it's a fake," Sirius said in a dazed fashion.

"That's what we all thought when it snagged somewhere and came off Amihan's hand," Remus agreed."But Severus always carries this potion around.He says it lets him spot potential counterfeiters when he shops.He applied some of it on the ring."Remus's hand shook a bit now."It's silver, Padfoot," he said calmly.When Sirius looked up, he saw a faint, almost adoring glow in his friend's face."I have a hunch that Amihan managed to stumble onto the cure she's been seeking for ages."He smiled."If she has, Padfoot, I'm going to marry her."

"And if she hasn't?"

"I'd still marry her.She's the only woman who's actually taken an active interest in me apart from what I am."

"Even if she _did_ want you dead some time ago?" Sirius grinned slyly.

"Yes, even then."

"Well…"Tears stung Sirius's eyes as he gripped Remus in a bear hug."Best of luck to you," he said bravely.He let Remus go and started for the broom closet."In the meantime, I'm off to Hogsmeade."

"Why?"

"The Headmistress called for Amihan's sister; she'll be landing by the Three Broomsticks in a bit."

"And you're flying over?"

"Yes.Why?"

Remus shook his head in disbelief."You're obviously getting old, Padfoot," he chuckled."Don't you remember our old shortcut to Hogsmeade?"

Sirius glared at him but was rather put out with himself for forgetting about the trapdoor at Honeydukes.

"I'm not _that_ old," he muttered as they went their separate ways.

***

Marilag Sinagtala's heart was pounding as she landed near the local tavern.

It had been one in the morning in New York when a head appeared in her fireplace.Having seen the face in so many pictures her sister had taken in her schooldays, she knew at once that it was the former Head of Gryffindor House – Hogwarts Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.

The Headmistress's news was not at all pleasant.Voldemort's right-hand man had escaped from Azkaban, sending threats to those instrumental to his imprisonment.Amihan had been one of those tasked by the British Minister of Magic to help recapture Peter Pettigrew.She'd had a hunch that he was probably heading for the school by way of the nearby forest and had gone to search for him with three other teachers.They'd sensed his trail, but he caught them by surprise when he attacked one of the teachers who'd gone ahead.He then tried to kill the whole search party along with a number of foolhardy students who seemed to have some score to settle with Pettigrew.To their surprise, it was the injured teacher who saved their lives.The others went after him, but Amihan had stayed behind to administer to their fallen comrade – and had done herself injury in the process.She was now confined in the school's hospital wing, still unconscious.

Marilag scurried frantically about her apartment like a headless chicken as she gathered a few necessities for the trip to Scotland.The worst part of it all was when her parents called from their home in Baguio minutes after they'd been told of the incident.It broke Marilag's heart to see both their parents in tears.Their normally stoic father was horribly shaken and their similarly unshakable mother wept copiously at the thought of their youngest in mortal peril.Marilag knew the reason for their grief: they'd already lost one child.Were they to lose another?

By the time she'd finished packing, she was tense, upset, furious, and most definitely _hungry_.But there was no time to spare.She grabbed Alapaap's old fountain pen from one of the bookshelves; Amihan had charmed it as a Portkey to Hogsmeade, the village near the school.Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt herself being borne aloft, speeding across the miles to some place far, far away.

She made a graceful landing beside The Three Broomsticks and was wondering how to get to the school when she found herself facing a rather young, handsome fellow with dark hair tied back in a low ponytail, striking blue eyes, and a similarly smashing smile.

"Mediwitch Sinagtala, I presume?" he asked as he took her by the hand.

"Yes," Marilag replied, a nervous blush spreading across her cheeks.He was a looker, this fellow."You're from Hogwarts?"

The handsome stranger nodded, still grinning."Obviously," he chuckled."Headmistress McGonagall sent me out to fetch you.By the way, I almost forgot to introduce myself."He bowed with a flourish."Sirius Black, professor of Transfiguration and colleague to your lovely wonder of a sister."

Marilag's jaw dropped in surprise."Sirius Black?" she exclaimed in bewilderment."_The_ Sirius Black?One of the Heroes of the Final Stand?"If her older sister Sining were here, she'd faint from shock; she and her husband idolized those of the Order of the Phoenix and would've given anything to meet any of them._She can just faint dead away!_ Marilag thought mischievously.

"Ah!"Sirius pressed the back of his hand to his forehead in an attitude of feigned dismay."Alas, my reputation precedes me yet again!"He winked at her."Yes, my dear Mediwitch Sinagtala; the very same."

"Marilag, please."Amihan's older sister was every bit as beautiful as she was, but her manner around Sirius was certainly warmer.His cheerful ways relieved her tension, preparing her for what she would probably be facing at Hogwarts.In short, she liked him at once."Mediwitch Sinagtala is such a mouthful."

"If you wish."Sirius moved to pick up the one suitcase she'd brought._Mental note: ask Moony what her name means.It sounds pretty!_"Have you had anything to eat?"

"Actually, Professor Black, I'm starving!"Ruefully, she explained that she'd received the summons at dawn and had been so upset that she hadn't even picked up a bite to eat.However, food was currently the farthest thing on her mind at the moment."But I'd better go check on my sister first," she admitted fearfully.

"Call me Sirius and I'll have you in Hogwarts before you could say _Dissendium_!"

"_Dissendium_?"

At once, Sirius whisked her off to Honeydukes.The shop was rather crowded for a weekday and provided the perfect cover under which he could bring their guest through the passageway.He did, however, decide to pick up a few treats for Marilag before they left.

"Here you go," he said when he handed her a couple of Cauldron Cakes and a Pumpkin Pasty."You must be ravenous."

"Oh, my!"Marilag blushed prettily as she accepted the sweets."Thank you!"

He led her down into the shop's storage area and opened the trap door that led back to Hogwarts.Marilag's golden eyes widened as Sirius slipped into the trapdoor.

"It's a shortcut," he explained upon seeing the incredulous expression she threw at him."We've known it for years and it's quite safe."He gently coaxed her into following him."Come on; don't be scared."

She was every bit as graceful as her younger sister was when she slipped into the trapdoor in a rather feline fashion while Sirius held it open for her.

"You must've been quite a sneak as a student, Sirius," she beamed at him, looking very impressed.

That startled Sirius.He was expecting her to be more like Amihan who didn't seem to tolerate any sort of nonsense whatsoever.

"I wish _I'd_ been here as a kid," Marilag dimpled wistfully."It would've been fun to have a partner-in-crime seeing how I was the only joker at my old school years ago."

Sirius grinned at her remark; they would get along just fine.

The two of them ran down the burrow-like passageway that led back to the school.

***

Amihan found herself in a very familiar room with someone whom she missed for a very long time.

"I see you've decided to pay me a visit."Alapaap Sinagtala grinned hugely at her twin.She would always be sixteen now, always be at the age when she died.Same waist-length hair done up in two braid that trailed down her back, same elfin look on her face, same white denim jumper-dress over a long-sleeved black turtleneck and white ankle socks: same old Alapaap.She sat on the bed she used to sleep in her lifetime: a pretty brass affair with a frilly lace canopy and a sweet quilted spread Amihan had so painstakingly pieced for her twin for some long-ago Christmas.

Amihan looked around and realized that she was in the room she used to share with her twin – except that where her side of the room should have been was a completely blank space.Alapaap's side of the room was quintessentially feminine but Amihan's – if it had been there – had been decorated in the Japanese fashion, a study in Zen-like simplicity.

"A visit?" Amihan raised an eyebrow at her twin."You mean I'm not staying?"

"Of course not!"Alapaap sat up, looking more than a little scandalized."You're not due here for _ages_, sis.You're here for a rest; that's all."She cocked her head to one side and winked impishly at her sister."If I were _you_, though, I'd get back as soon as I could.Your poor boyfriend's worried sick about you."

_Boyfriend?!_Amihan suddenly put her guard up."I don't know what you're talking about," she snorted defensively."I'm too busy to have one and I'm most definitely _not_ interested in anyone at the moment."The blush that was spreading over he face spoke otherwise, though.

"Oh, _please_!"Alapaap laughingly waved her protest off."_Spare_ me, Amihan!Then what do you call that adorable werewolf – I mean _ex-_werewolf – whose currently wringing his hands by you bedside?" 

"Ex-werewolf!" Amihan exclaimed, bouncing onto her twin's bed with an air of bewilderment."I definitely _don't_ know what you're talking about!"

"Good grief, Amihan!Don't tell me you _weren't_ aware that you'd finally found the most vital ingredient for the Lycanthropic Cure!"The look of bewilderment on Amihan's face caused Alapaap's eyebrows to rise alarmingly."The transfusion did it," she said simply.

"The transfusion?"

"Yeah.Don't you remember those mushy Muggle novels _Ate_ Marilag and I were so nuts about years ago?Those medieval romances where the hero or heroine shed blood to save the one they loved?"

Amihan grimaced as she remembered how her sisters wept copiously over those badly written books.Why any girl – magic _or_ Muggle – ever read them was a complete mystery to the pragmatic young witch.

"I guess those Muggles were on to something," Alapaap giggled."True love does work wonders after all: breaks the spells of Dark wizards, brings the dead back to life, turns beasts into princes…"

Amihan had suddenly gone quiet._True love…_Her mind kept screaming at her to tell Alapaap that nothing could be farther from the truth; her heart, on the other hand, was whispering otherwise.

"Still won't admit it, huh?"Alapaap shook her head with a sigh."Same old Amihan: iron-fisted Amihan with a heart of stone."She regarded her twin seriously."Would you have given your life away if you didn't care?"

"I cared because he was my test subject," Amihan replied coldly but didn't quite dare to meet her sister's candid gaze."How would it look if I lost him just as we were about to make the breakthrough?"She stared unseeingly into the nothingness before them."He's nothing to me but a colleague."

"You've been after him since we were fourteen," Alapaap reminded her.

"Alapaap, that was different.Back then – and quite some time afterwards – I wanted him, all right.I wanted him _dead_."

Alapaap merely shrugged."So you say," she murmured, eyes narrowing critically."But that wasn't what you were thinking a while ago when you performed the Transfusion Spell."The tone of her voice slowly, relentlessly began to goad her twin into reacting. "That wasn't what you were thinking when you told him to be careful when he ran after…"

"_ENOUGH!_"Amihan held a hand up to quell her sister's relentless questioning.Alapaap may have been a Squib in her lifetime, but she had always had an odd knack for getting answers where her twin was concerned.Wryly, Amihan admitted to herself that death did nothing to blunt this strange talent of her twin's.

"I owe him for saving my life," she said coldly."Twice, as a matter of fact.Can't we just leave it at that?"

"It's gone beyond saving you from a hundred-foot potentially debilitating freefall or stopping the Killing Curse dead in its tracks."Alapaap punched her sister in the arm, half-annoyed by the way she was behaving."_Anak ng tinapa_, Amihan!" she swore in their native tongue.

"You needn't call me a smoked fish!" Amihan shot back.

"Well, you're getting to be as salty as one the way you've been acting!Why do you always have to attach values for anything you do?"

"Um…"

"He's been through more troubles than he's cared to let on," Alapaap began quietly."All he wanted was a normal life.All he wanted was to be a good kid who could be a good son, friend, and worker.The monster within him got in the way, though, and all his life he's been struggling to let it go and leave him to live his life in peace."

"What's that got to do with me?" Amihan was goaded into asking.

"You gave him the hope that he could be normal one day," Alapaap replied, eyes softening."Now, he _is_ normal and he has a brighter future to look forward to.Besides that…"She smiled at her twin."…the fact that you are what you are gave him something more."

_Something more…_It took a moment for it to sink into Amihan's mind.Then, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Oh my God!" she shrieked, gripping her twin's arms excitedly."I transferred some of my powers to him!That's _wonderful_!He can go hunting with me!It's been _ages_ since I've hunted for fun and…"She suddenly seemed to get a grip on herself and drew herself up somewhat huffily."Sorry," she grunted indecorously.

"What are you apologizing for?" Alapaap cried, smacking her over the head with a pillow."He likes you and vice versa!Will you quit being such a _prat_ already, Amihan."She shook her head, laughing."You scared him at first, though; what your ol' Potions master said about your plan to shoot him if you ever met freaked him out.But now…"She hugged her twin."Good luck, Amihan.You deserve that wonderful fellow who's crying his eyes out beside you at this very moment."

"_Crying_?"It was only at that point that Amihan seemed to hear someone sobbing, calling her name, begging her to come back.When she looked into the nothingness, she saw herself in the hospital wing with Remus by her bedside. Her heart broke when she saw the tears running down his face."Oh, no…"

"Don't let him worry about you too long," her twin advised her, patting her shoulder as she spoke."I'll miss you, sis."

"And I'll miss you."The twins hugged and looked into each other's eyes: one pair brown and the other gold."You _will_ be watching over us, won't you?"

"Don't worry; I got you both covered."

Amihan rose to her feet and felt herself being borne away, back to the world of the living.When she looked back, Alapaap was fading away even as she waved farewell.

***

Meanwhile, Snape had skipped lunch and remained in his office down in the dungeons.

The morning's troubles caused him to put his guard up.He couldn't sit still and thus studied his copy of the Map standing up.His eyes shifted from one part of it to another, coming to rest on the hubbub in the Great Hall.

The area was covered with lots of tiny dots representing the studentry.There were also several teachers present: Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and Vector.All seemed normal…

Or did it?

Snape's eyes widened when he saw a flock of students leaving the Great Hall.

Pettigrew was, in one form or another, among them.

***

Sirius and Marilag emerged from behind the statue of the one-eyed witch on the third floor of the castle.

To Sirius's surprise, Harry and Ginny were waiting for them.The two youngsters looked worried.

"We figured you'd be back from Hogsmeade," Ginny informed the startled teacher."So Harry thought you must've used this particular way in."

"Why?" Sirius demanded as he helped Marilag into the corridor."Anything happen while I was away?"

"I'm afraid so," Harry replied grimly.Sirius shot him a worried look."It's Wormtail; Snape's seen him in the castle."

***

The first thing she saw when she regained consciousness was a red-rimmed pair of violet eyes staring balefully back at her.

"Remus?" Amihan managed to gasp weakly, clutching at his thin hands as she came to.

"I'm all right," he hastened to assure her, taking care not to let her sit up too soon.He gripped her hands."For a minute there, I thought…"

"Never mind what you thought earlier."She pressed a finger to his lips with a weak but happy smile."All that matters is that you're all right and you're perfectly normal now."She winked playfully, though."Well, not exactly _normal_ but…"

Remus managed a shy smile."Because my blood donor turned out to be a _neko-onna_?" he murmured.

Amihan carefully sat up; Remus promptly began plumping up the pillows to support her back.She studied him carefully, noting that the transfusion gave him the looks of an exceptionally handsome sixteen-year-old boy.

"Girls must've gone nuts around you when you were sixteen," she murmured ruefully.

"Maybe," Remus shrugged."I didn't bother to notice them."He sighed as he went back to his seat."I was always afraid they'd run away screaming when they found out what I was.Being a werewolf's a secret that's particularly difficult to hide, so what was the point of finding a lifelong partner?"

"Will you look for a wife now that you're normal?" Amihan asked quietly, her normally bold gaze suddenly downcast.

"Why would I look for one?"A faint blush colored Remus's pale face as he gazed candidly into her amber eyes."I've already found _you_."

Amihan blushed furiously but showed no displeasure.In fact, a faint smile played at the corners of her lips.

"Oh!"Sheepishly, Remus picked a long box off the floor and placed it in Amihan's lap."Um, here: remember how your old broom got smashed when you tried to come after me after that practice match with the Ravenclaw team?It isn't much, but I hope it's an ample enough replacement."

Her curiosity piqued, Amihan carefully opened the box.Inside, nestled in a soft pile of tissue paper was an Accelerato with a blue Pathsetter gleaming at the tip of its handle.

"It's lovely!" she exclaimed breathlessly.Her eyes glowed warmly as she cuddled it the way other girls would've cuddled a new kitten or a plush animal."Oh, Moony, you shouldn't have!Thank you!"

She was fairly sure Remus would have kissed her if Sirius hadn't burst into the hospital wing together with – of all people! – her older sister Marilag.

"Sorry to burst in on this romantic interlude," Sirius gasped with neither preamble nor even the faintest shadow of a smile."But Wormtail's in here and…"

They didn't give him time to finish what he had to say.Remus and Amihan took one look at each other and promptly bolted off, the former whisking the latter off the bed.They ran out of the hospital wing, nearly knocking Madam Pomfrey off her feet as she entered to look in on her patient.

"Well, I never!" the school nurse exclaimed indignantly."Fastest recoveries of all time and they suddenly leave!"

"It's an emergency, Poppy," Sirius declared as he and Marilag sped by.

***

Snape looked badly shaken when they found him at the end of the corridor.

"Where is he?" Remus demanded, setting Amihan onto her feet.

"Mixed up with a bunch of students leaving the Great Hall," Snape replied, his voice tight with strained agitation."I've set every prefect to monitor the passageways leading to the House Towers."

"The Headmistress?"

"Parkinson's gone up to tell her."

"Minister Dumbledore?"

"Weasley sent an owl this morning to tell him about the dawn attack.I had another sent as soon as I spotted Wormtail on the Map."Snape's face was set grimly as he spoke, his words half-choked by the horror they implied."He doesn't care much for the idea, but he's coming in with Dementors."

"Dementors?"Remus looked up sharply."I thought he had issues against those creatures!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, he definitely does."There was a look of almost beatific anticipation on Snape's pinched features."But in this case, they would be the ones best suited to deal with our little traitor."

"I must say I agree with you on _that_ score," Sirius murmured, nodding vigorously.

Amihan was studying the Map, taking careful note of the sixth-year Prefects guarding the corridors.Ernie Macmillan was patrolling the way to the Hufflepuff Tower near the teachers' broom closet.Mandy Brocklehurst stood guard in the library where the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower was located.Draco was impatiently pacing the dungeon corridor to Slytherin Tower while Hermione and Ron were monitoring the area closest to Gryffindor Tower.The young professor's golden eyes impatiently sought out the group of students into which Pettigrew had mingled.Her heart began to pound when the group parted ways and Pettigrew remained with those heading for Gryffindor Tower.

"He's on his way to where Granger and Weasley are!" she yelled, melting into her alternative form as she leapt into the corridor.

The plump little raven-furred Persian was followed in a bit by a sleek raven-furred shorthair with a very mischievous grin.

"What were you doing when we came in?" the feline Marilag purred to her sister.

"None of you business," Amihan snarled.

"He's cute.Is he yours?"

"He is; what of it?"

"Good!That means I have dibs on the dark-haired guy!"

"You mean Snape, don't you?"

"Snape's the guy we just met, right?Greasy hair and craggy sort of nose?"

"Yep.He's available if you're interested."

"Oh, yuck!"Marilag shuddered in horror at the thought."No, thanks!I meant the _other_ dark-haired guy."

"Sirius Black!"Amihan stared at her sister without pausing."What would you want with _that_ practical joker?Sure his name's Sirius but he's _anything_ but!"

"I noticed; that's why I like him."

"For crying out loud, _Ate_!The guy's a _dog_!"

"No, he's not: he's absolutely cute."

"That's _not_ what I meant!"

As if to help Amihan explain the matter further, a huge Newfoundland dog came bounding alongside them.

"Mind if I joined the hunt, ladies?" Padfoot barked at them.

"_That_'s what I meant!" Amihan meowed as she sprinted ahead."He's an Animagus – so he's a dog!"

***

Meanwhile, Remus had gone outside the castle to lay a trap for Wormtail.

He had never told anybody what sort of heartache the traitor had put him through for twelve years of his life, not even Sirius or Harry knew the truth.

Twelve years – one hundred and forty-four full moons – had passed in absolute agony for Remus with James dead, Sirius in Azkaban, and Peter off hiding at the Weasleys' as the rat called Scabbers.He was the only Marauder left, his alter ego torturing him horrendously every month while his conscience tormented him with guilt with each passing day.

And yet…

He shook his head sorrowfully.For all he had done, Remus could not bring himself to kill Wormtail.Once, when his duplicity was finally made known, he nearly killed the little traitor.However, Harry – truly James's son – had pled for Wormtail's life on the condition that he stayed away from him forever.But Wormtail had run away and had played young Harry false time and again until the boy finally blew Voldemort to kingdom come and the Dementors had come to take Wormtail to prison.

_They should've administered the Kiss!_ Remus thought angrily as he set up his trap.But Wormtail proved useful to the Ministry, naming the Death Eaters who had returned to the Dark Lord's service: Lucius Malfoy, the Lestranges whom he helped free from Azkaban, Igor Karkaroff, Walden Macnair...It was enough to keep him from getting Kissed by the Dementors, just enough to keep him from losing his soul for all eternity.

But it was no longer enough to spare him from the wrath of those he wronged.Sirius or Snape would definitely kill him if they were the ones who caught him.Not even Harry or Draco would show him any mercy.Amihan had seen Wormtail stab Remus: that was reason enough for her to join the long list of people who wanted to wring Wormtail's neck.

Nevertheless, Remus's conscience begged him not to shed any more blood – his or anyone else's, for that matter.He had never killed anyone as a werewolf and he was sure that no one would like it at all if he started now – regardless of the fact that it was Wormtail they were dealing with.

He had an alternative, though.He wasn't an expert against the Dark Arts for nothing, after all.

He stood at the massive doors that led into the school, waving his wand about as he muttered a spell he'd learned on his travels.The wand left a glittering trail of sparks as it moved, intricately weaving a trap that was meant to be foolproof.

When the sparks ceased to twinkle in the dim hall, Remus stood back and surveyed his work.Satisfied that all was in place, he sped off to Gryffindor Tower.

***

Gryffindor first-year Wendy Trayle lagged behind the other students when she caught sight of a most unusual thing lurking in a corner.

It was a rat.A small gray rat that looked badly hurt; its tail had been ripped off by a cat or probably by some other rat during a fight.

"Oh, you poor thing!" she wailed, falling onto hands and knees as she tried to coax it into her hand."Don't be scared; I won't hurt you."Carefully, she picked it up and stroked its back with her finger."I'll take really good care of you; that's a promise"

She did not notice that one of the rat's paws seemed to be made of silver nor did she notice the mad, murderous gleam in its tiny eyes.

***

Remus caught up with Snape, Padfoot, and the Singatalas as they neared the portrait of the Fat Lady.

They all halted and the Animagi changed back to their human forms as they approached Hermione and Ron who were conversing quietly as they cast sharp-eyed glances at the students entering the Tower.

"What's going on?" Ron asked as the teachers came closer. 

"Trouble," Sirius replied tersely."Have the first-years gone by, Ron?"

"Yeah," Ron nodded, jerking a thumb at the portrait of the Fat Lady.

The teachers suddenly fell silent and Remus's already pallid face completely lost color.But this was no time to go haywire – at least, not yet.

"Good God!" Amihan choked as Remus silently, inexorably made his way towards the Fat Lady."He's in there._Wormtail's inside the Tower!_"

***

A little group of the youngest Gryffindors clustered around Wendy and her newfound pet in the common room.

"Oh, the poor thing!" some of them cooed.

"When did you get it, Wendy?"

"Just now," the little girl replied, cuddling the little beast to her cheek."Isn't he adorable?"

What happened next went by so fast that none of them really knew what hit them until they saw a silver hand around Wendy's tiny throat.

Pandemonium broke loose among the Gryffindors as the students ran for cover, some stampeding up the staircases to the dorms.There were those who tried to run for the portrait hole, but these were nearly obliterated by the blasts from Wormtail's hand.

"Nobody leaves!" the villain roared, beady eyes gleaming insanely.A mere year at Azkaban had scraped off much of his cowardice, replacing it with a cold-blooded madness that made him brave enough to pick on those weaker than he was.

"Help me!" Wendy cried, nearly choking in Wormtail's grip

They could hear a roar of anger from the outside.The portrait swung wide to usher in Remus who was in an uncharacteristic rage with his wand held low.Professors Black, Sinagtala, and Snape flanked him and there was another witch whom they had never seen at Hogwarts.

"Let her go, Peter," Remus demanded in a quiet voice that had a raging undercurrent flowing beneath the civil tone.

"_You!" _Wormtail stared at him in disbelief."But – but you're supposed to be…"

"Dead?Well, sorry, Peter."He slid a grateful look towards Amihan."I'm lucky someone cared enough to try and give her life up for me."His gaze suddenly hardened when he returned to Wormtail."But that's not the point.The girl has nothing against you; leave her alone."

"Maybe _she_ doesn't" Wormtail sneered at Remus."But if I hurt her, it'll hurt you, right?Saint Moony, patron of the little ones.The paragon of a father who'll never be one because of what he is: a werewolf."He spat the words mockingly, leering madly at his old friend even as he tightened his grip on the child he held captive."Some things never change and the fact that you're so daddy-like to the little kiddies is one of them, Remus."

"_You_ haven't changed either, Wormtail," Sirius growled menacingly from beside Remus."Still picking on those smaller than you, eh?Still think that picking on the weak absolves you of your own weakness?"Brusquely, he moved Remus aside to advance towards Wormtail.If anyone had all the right to kill Wormtail, it was Sirius.

"Come no closer, Padfoot!" Wormtail shrieked, coming close to foaming at the mouth.He clutched tighter around the whimpering child's throat."Unless you want the child to die!"

"Let her go, Peter!" Remus pleaded; yet, those around him sensed that he was beginning to lose his patience."Your fight isn't with her; it's with us."

"You want a hostage?"Another voice rang intensely through the taut silence of the common room.Amihan cast her wand towards Wormtail."Take me instead, Wormtail."She slid a sidelong glance at Remus who nodded imperceptibly at what she was about to do.She walked towards the villain who terrorized the students."If you really want to hurt your old friends, it had better be me."

Wormtail didn't hesitate.He flung Wendy at Remus who promptly caught her without injury.Then, the fiend snatched at Amihan, gripping her arm tightly with his mortal hand and picking her wand off the floor with his magical one.

"Fools!" he declared triumphantly, waving the wand above his head."It all ends here!"

"Yes, Peter."Remus's voice was calm, but there was a savage glint in his eyes."It all ends here."

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Wormtail roared, pointing the wand at them.

The students screamed, scurrying helter-skelter as they sought cover.However, the teachers remained calm and stoic.

"Doesn't he know?" Marilag murmured _sotto voce_ to Remus.

"I don't think so," Remus replied.

Nothing happened.

"What the…"Wormtail stared at the wand in bewilderment.He shook it again and again to see if sparks would come out.Still, nothing happened."What gives?"

"That's a _neko-onna_ wand, Peter," Remus explained cheerfully."It only responds to the witch who gave the hair for its core."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's what I am," a distinctly feline-sounding voice drawled near Wormtail.When he turned, he was looking straight into the eyes of a huge, grinning panther."What's the matter?" Amihan asked the startled felon."Haven't you met a cat-woman before?"

"AAAGGGHHH!!!"Horrified by the possibility of being eaten, Wormtail changed back into a rat and scrambled out of the Tower with practically everyone – his old friends, their colleagues, and the students – chasing after him in hot pursuit.

"Afraid of a little kitty-cat like me, Wormtail?" Amihan taunted the little beast scampering ahead of them.

He scampered frantically through corridors and down staircases, desperately trying to elude capture yet another time.

_This is getting to be quite a habit!_ he thought wryly._Just a little farther now…_

__Before he could reach the entrance hall, however, something definitely gave wings to his flight.

A big gray wolf suddenly emerged as if from nowhere.It growled menacingly at Wormtail and looked ready to pounce.

_That's impossible!_Wormtail backed away, frightened by the wolf's loud growls and sharp fangs._The full moon's over!It's broad daylight!And…_

__The wolf pounced.With a frightened squeak, Wormtail bolted.The wolf gave chase and was soon flanked by the panther.

"Nice Animagus form," the panther growled with a slight grin.

"It was the only one available on short notice," the wolf yipped."The transformation didn't hurt."

"Only stands to reason: you're not a werewolf anymore.You've finally controlled the beast that was gnawing you."

"Well, we have Wormtail to thank for that."

"But…"

"I know: he _still_ has a lot to answer for, though."

"Best thing you've had to say all day."

The frenzied rat scrambled down to the entrance hall.

_Only a little more to go…_

__"Stop!"Remus suddenly changed back to his human form and blocked the panther in its tracks.

"What?"Amihan flowed back into her own form and stared at him in disbelief."What are we stopping for?"

He motioned towards the massive doors.

"Watch."

I'll be home free!I'll be home free!I'll be… 

Suddenly, lightning seemed to flash as the front doors exploded just as Wormtail reached them.The crash was deafening and the ground shook beneath them, knocking everyone to the floor.Remus caught Amihan just in time to cushion her fall.

But Wormtail…

When the smoke cleared, there was a large glass sphere where Wormtail had stood.Lying beside it on the floor was what appeared to be…

"Oh my God!"Amihan clung to Remus's arm as he picked the object up."Is that what I think it is?"

…a rat's paw wrought in silver.

"What happened to him, Remus?"Amihan's voice was hushed and her eyes widened when she realized what he was holding."Is he dead?"

"No."Remus tucked the paw into his pocket."I just banished him somewhere – some place where he won't hurt anyone ever again…"

***

He found himself in a dark, desolate wasteland.

The fact that he was lame was an absolute disadvantage for him.

He could neither hunt as well as the others nor fight as well as the others.

Nevertheless, he would have to fight.

Food was scarce in this place where he'd been exiled.He would have to fight tooth and claw for it, dig the parched earth for it, scrounge in the deepest mire for it.

Never – not even in his worst nightmares – did he expect a fate like this, not even in the years when he hid himself from his many enemies.

Ah, if they could see him now, they would think _How appropriate!What a fitting end to a traitor!_

__For now, he was doomed to the life of a scavenger.He was nothing more than a bit of vermin, nothing more but one of the many.

Such, alas, was the life of a rat.

***

"That's horrid, Remus!"

Headmistress McGonagall was appalled at Remus's explanation of what he'd done to Wormtail.

The whole group involved in the capture were having tea in the Headmistress's study.Minister Dumbledore was with them and nodded at Remus's alternative to simply killing the traitor and finally being done with it.The sphere in which Wormtail was contained in some alternate dimension was handed to the Minister for safekeeping.They would not trust anyone else.

"Horrid, yes," Dumbledore nodded as he set his cup down."But merciful nonetheless; quite what I expected from you, Remus."

Remus, however, remained quiet the whole time.There was a sad, rather wistful cast to his face as he sipped his tea.The end of Wormtail seemed to close the book on the adventures of the four Marauders who once haunted Hogwarts, playing their mad little pranks against the Slytherins and prowling the grounds under the full moon.Wormtail's defeat would not give back the twelve years lost by Remus, Sirius, and Harry.It would never rewrite the horrid guilt-ridden years Remus spent wandering and seeking for normalcy, the dreadful years Sirius languished in Azkaban, or the miserable ones Harry spent with the Dursleys.Alas, it would not bring James and Lily back to life.

It _did_ change a few things, though.Remus was no longer a werewolf and he'd been granted powers that quite made up for his years of pain-ridden misery.It also spelled the end of his loneliness, his alienation from the rest of the world.The smile Amihan threw his way in the course of the conversation was proof enough of that.

"Well, I guess that settles everything," Remus grinned as they all rose to their feet.He noted that it was already four in the afternoon.Classes would be over and the Gryffindors would be heading for the pitch for Quidditch practice.

"Are you doing anything this afternoon, Amihan?" he asked her as they made their way out of the study.

"Nothing, really," Amihan replied."Why'd you ask?"

"Care to take your new broom on a test flight?"He offered his hand to her, his cheeks coloring slightly."Oh!And before I forget…"He took her ring out of his pocket and slid it back on her finger."Here you go."

Amihan dimpled impishly as she took his hand and they headed for the broom closet together.

"They look happy," Snape smiled.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, tentatively putting his arm about Marilag's shoulders; luckily, she didn't object."After all that's happened, they have every right to be so."

**--END--**


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